Western Europe's Decline

“Western Europeans are not taken seriously worldwide because there is no reason to take them seriously.

 

The past few years have been one relentless lesson for Western Europe. A continent that thought defense no longer mattered was taught a harsh lesson by Putin. A continent that prioritized climate protection above all else found few partners with similar ambitions. A continent that advocated for free trade was confronted with Trump's tariffs. A continent that believed in globalization became a victim of collapsing supply chains. A continent that claimed a role in global politics was largely powerless in Ukraine without the United States; in the Middle East, it wasn't even consulted. A continent that declared international law its guiding principle had to watch the decline of the United Nations.

 

The list could go on, but it is already frightening enough.  Essentially, the most important cornerstones supporting Western Europe's foreign policy and worldview have been undermined in a short period of time, some even completely crumbling.

 

Previously, it was thought that Western Europeans would become stronger by acting together. Now they are dragging each other down: countries like France through debt, the former growth engine Germany through economic weakness, many member states through social conflicts, and all of them together through defense shortcomings that cannot be remedied quickly.

 

This predicament is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that the Hungarian Prime Minister currently receives more attention in Washington than the President of the EU Commission. Europe is not taken seriously worldwide because there is no reason to take it seriously.

 

The astonishing thing is that this development is lamented at length, but politicians continue to fight the battles of the past. This is especially true for the two largest member states, without which Western Europe cannot accomplish much.

 

In France, everything revolves around reversing the pension reform; in Germany, the debate is still about migration.

 

The fact that a right-wing populist government in Italy has become one of the last anchors of stability is particularly telling.” This says a lot about the deep crisis of the established parties, but it also doesn't make Europe a world power.

 

What's needed, as in the domestic political debate, is more honesty. Western Europe's decline was, in a way, inevitable; historically speaking, it has been ongoing for many decades. After the world wars, Europeans lost their Western leadership role to the United States. The industrial rise of Asia and the enormous transfer of wealth to the raw material-producing countries in the Middle East, but also to Russia, later created new centers of power.

 

In this multipolar world, characterized by great power competition, a multi-ethnic continent like Europe cannot play first fiddle. The "United States of Europe," which was once proclaimed as a goal, is not only politically unrealistic, but also the wrong benchmark: the EU will not become a second USA. If things go well, we will maintain third place, behind America and China.

 

 If things go badly, the EU will disintegrate, and Europe will once again be divided into spheres of influence of foreign powers.

 

Europe's powerlessness is also a consequence of an out-of-touch mentality that has shaped thinking and action for far too long. The idea that the EU is a "normative power" that can export its values ​​to the rest of the world always had something neocolonial about it, but above all, it often backfired. The attempt to enforce child protection or climate protection globally harmed the European economy. The attempt to uphold asylum law pushed many European societies to the limits of their material and cultural capacities. The attempt to define security "comprehensively" led to defenselessness.

 

The solution is not to strengthen the EU, as is reflexively demanded, especially by those who bear responsibility for this development. The European External Action Service has proven to be an institution without much added value; the current High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also brings no political weight to the table.

 

The EU primarily needs strong member states, both economically and militarily. This will be achieved more effectively through legislative measures.

 

Restraint is needed in Brussels, as the debate about bureaucratic burdens shows.

 

And a realistic understanding of the world we live in is required. Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin are not historical anomalies. They represent what Europe is increasingly confronted with: countries that ruthlessly pursue their national interests.” [1]

 

1. Europas Abstieg. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 30 Oct 2025: 1. Von Nikolas Busse