United States of Europe
It's not a new idea, but today it makes more sense than ever: has the time come for a United States of Europe? In a context of constant geopolitical friction, with the United States unleashed in its neocolonial offensive, a militarily weak Russia yet ready to undermine all the non-aggression pacts established at the end of the Cold War, and a China that is quietly growing and expanding both within and beyond its borders, the global context is complex, and I can think of few solutions more surprisingly feasible and appropriate today than this one.
First came the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Then, the genocide of the Palestinian people committed by Israel over the last two years. Now, in just the three short weeks of 2026, there's the kidnapping of the Venezuelan head of state (a dictator, yes, but kidnapped nonetheless) and the threat of invasion or "purchase," in Donald Trump's words, of Greenland. Europe, more accustomed to expressing "deep concern" (the famous 'deeply concerned' While the EU's high-ranking officials (often parodied on social media) have already been "monitoring" the conflict, this time they've gone further, at least symbolically, to show that they will defend their territorial integrity. This has been done through official statements, but also with the previously unthinkable deployment of troops to the Inuit island. And that's not bad, but... what if we went even further?
Don't misunderstand me: I won't be the one to advocate rearmament and a new, unnecessary militarization of society. What I mean is that this moment, with the defense of such essential sovereignty as the territorial integrity of Europe at its core, could also be the moment to come together and strengthen other forms of sovereignty. Economic sovereignty, equally essential. But also food sovereignty, now that the agreement with Mercosur threatens to wipe out local farming and fishing. Energy sovereignty, in a context of a global return to fossil fuels. Or cultural sovereignty, in a continent that, if anything has been defined throughout the centuries, it is by its linguistic and cultural diversity.
I would like to imagine a United States of Europe that gives more voice to regions and nations than to states. That matters affecting Mallorca, the Balearic Islands, and the Catalan Countries would be decided here, and validated and strengthened according to community criteria, not those dictated from Madrid. I would like to think that Europe, which, after all, bears primary responsibility for a good part of the world's post-colonial conflicts, could begin to play a role in the solution and the repair of these conflicts, and be an example of sovereignty, of defending democratic values and human rights, and remind the world that a society that protects itself, a society that cares for itself and nourishes itself, and that thrives on every exchange and decision, is also a viable option. Ours, at least.
