«Silver Alert. Missing and being searched for" elderly woman which suffers from memory lapses. It ignores its rich and positive history, remembers only fragments of its royal past, does absolutely nothing, and yearns for former glories. Her guardianship has been taken over by someone who calls himself the «planetary ruler» and charges all his expenses to her. The lady goes by (when she listens, which is not certain) the euphemistic name ’A United Europe». Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact her family»...

Such a description may be harsh, but it is not unfair given the current situation European Union. The once-promising institutional sociopolitical transformation has been at a standstill for years. It has turned into a sluggish bureaucratic machine that does nothing to drive progress forward but is merely fighting rearguard battles. Today’s EU has lost its luster on many levels. It is primarily a monetary union and much less anything else. It imposed extremely punitive measures on member states (including Greece), prioritizing the interests of its banks. Its positive image has now declined significantly; Great Britain has already left, while parties and politicians expressing Euroskeptic views are gaining electoral strength everywhere (as was the case in the recent elections in France, with the rhetoric of Le Pen and Mélenchon).

The European Union now turns a blind eye for many actions that run counter to its democratic principles. Notable examples include the ban on abortions in Poland and Hungary, as well as the suppression of press freedom, with Orbán’s Hungary being the most extreme case. This Europe does not dare to impose sanctions even on Turkey, which is illegally occupying the territory of an — an EU member state — and threatens another country with war if it exercises its internationally recognized rights.

This Europe very recently gave examples of a lack of foresightbecause it has not taken steps to shield the economy and the society of hers. A few months ago, we all realized that its automotive industry (a key sector for wealth creation in the EU) was unable to meet orders because it wasn’t producing semiconductors! In hindsight, Ms. von der Leyen announced measures aimed at filling the gap…

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the EU «discovered» that it is dependent to a large extent on the energy products it purchases from the Russia. It has also «discovered» that, in essence, it has ceded its defense to the U.S. Today, the EU is adrift, lacking a clear policy and guided solely by the individual interests of powerful pressure groups. Thus, Russian teams are barred from European sporting events, but at the same time, Brussels turns a blind eye to the shipowners transporting Russian oil…

Is this the European Union we all dreamed of? Personally, I support the European ideal unreservedly, but I have been disappointed by the total incompetence For years now, European leaders have been guided by the interests of their local constituencies rather than those of Europe as a whole.

So what is each one of us—the ordinary European citizen—asking for? We want an international entity that can guarantee us peace, prosperity, democratic rights, environmental protection, and a high quality of life. As long as our leaders fail to respond to these simple demands—and even more so when they are completely out of touch with any such vision—the forces of disintegration will only grow stronger.

Today, more than ever before, we need a strong and united Europe. But this cannot be achieved with mere wishful thinking; it requires concrete action. I am eager to see such action. I am searching for the Europe I dreamed of. It is nowhere to be found…

By Yannis Koronaiou