Where does Europe stand in the restructured world?
While Trump is trying to reach a bilateral agreement with Putin, China is actively rallying allies from around the world. Categories such as East, West, the "Global South" and "democratic values" are becoming increasingly blurred. Europe's media ask: Should Europe join forces with others or strive to boost its own profile? And does it have what it takes to this?
Discovering its identity through contrasts
The actions of the superpowers are fuelling the awakening of a European identity, writes communication scientist Dejan Verčič in Večer:
“The motto of the leading states is: America first, Russia first, China first. ... Right now it looks as if 'peace for our time' is being bought with a large piece of Ukraine presented on a silver platter. Tomorrow it could hit someone else. Including us. But it is not only Putin who has strengthened the Ukrainian national consciousness. Trump is doing the same for the EU and its identity. Never before have we Europeans known so clearly who we are. ... Now that we have realised that there is a European identity - that we are special and different from the Americans and Russians - it's time to give our existence real meaning.”
Scapegoat Brussels
If Europe is being left behind it's more the fault of individual countries than of the EU as a whole, Corriere della Sera explains:
“All too often, Brussels' more or less obvious deficits have become an excuse for governments to do nothing. Sometimes they have even gone so far as to blame the bloc for their own laziness and shortcomings. One example: is it Europe that fails to invest less than ten percent of what the US does on artificial intelligence, or is it individual governments that are unable to build alliances and raise the level of spending? The excessive regulation from which the EU undoubtedly suffers and which it would do well to remedy as soon as possible also seems to serve as an excuse. But this cannot justify inaction in sectors where such rules are effectively non-existent, such as defence.”
Choose a third path
Europe must find its own path independently of the US and China, writes editor-in-chief Jordi Juan in La Vanguardia:
“We citizens in the West were always convinced we were living on the right side of history. ... With a certain arrogance we tried to export democracy, sometimes with little success, as colonialism proves. ... China's skilful diplomacy has led to the emergence of the Brics as an alternative to Western hegemony. ... All that was missing was for Donald Trump to consolidate this anti-Western front. ... Perhaps the time has come for Europe to choose a third path and distance itself from the US without falling into the arms of China or Russia. Xi's support for Putin confirms that China is not on the right side of history either. His model should not be the alternative.”