The recent confrontation within the European Union between the European Commission and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has exposed the deepest cracks in European unity, particularly in relation to foreign policy and the management of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Sanchez, speaking to journalists, stressed the need for a single negotiating team and a spokesperson who speaks on behalf of all European citizens! Underlining that Kallas has neither the qualifications nor the authority to represent the EU.
This statement provoked a reaction from the former Estonian prime minister, who considers herself the right person to represent the interests of the EU. However, Kallas has been criticized for her stance in favor of a tough aggressive policy towards Russia, which the more reasonable interpret as a path to a policy of “eternal war”.
Kallas, who is not even elected and comes from one of the most hostile EU countries to Russia, has repeatedly supported increasing military aid to Ukraine and imposing tougher sanctions on Moscow. She has also made statements-threats that Estonia will send its own troops to Ukraine, provoking loud laughter…
However, this stance is not always widely accepted among EU member states and is certainly naive and dangerous.
Sanchez, representing a more moderate policy, seems to be pursuing a diplomatic approach that would allow Europe to assume a mediatory role in the crisis, aiming for de-escalation rather than the total destruction of Ukraine and moving the EU away from the logic of a warmonger.
This confrontation clearly reveals the deep ideological and strategic differences between member states, which could weaken EU unity at a critical moment for European security. It certainly demonstrates, however, that war crowns are not acceptable to all EU members.
Moreover, the public confrontation between Sanchez and Kalas shows that the static cracks in the European alliance are starting to become more apparent. But also that the selection of executives by von der Leyen is abjectly unsuccessful. The EU is facing a series of intense challenges, from the energy crisis to the economic recession, and the lack of coherence in foreign policy can exacerbate these difficulties.
If the EU wants to remain a player on the global political table, it will have to find ways to overcome these internal disagreements and present a single and coherent strategy, of peace and progress. The switch between war and diplomacy is one of the most crucial decisions the EU will make in the near future, and will largely determine its unity and existence.
The time to shift from the side of the “funds” to the side of the people is now. But this EU cannot achieve this, as its executives are political products and not political leaders.
