The EU must relaunch or die

Enrico Letta, the former Italian PM, says this is the moment statecraft must replace bureaucracy

The World Today Updated 26 November 2020 2 minute READ

Dr Enrico Letta

President, Institut Jacques Delors; Former Prime Minister, Republic of Italy

If the European Union does not undertake a concrete and effective re-launch within the next few months it will move towards irreversible decline. There is little time to avoid it. The reaction must be rapid and courageous.

Brexit was a heavy blow but the aftermath of the vote has produced some even more serious effects. The British decision, a consequence first and foremost of a British problem, has come to be seen as a Europe-wide rejection, with all the unfair and extremely damaging side-effects that brings.

The reaction of continental Europeans was one of division at the start followed by excessive passivity. As if ‘business as usual’ could be sufficient to manage an event of such historic importance.

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