The European Union, once founded on principles of shared prosperity and solidarity, has drastically deviated from its original mission. What began as three communities focused on economy, coal and steel, and nuclear energy has transformed into an institution that appears to be undermining the very foundations it was built upon.
Until the turn of the millennium, Europe’s economy kept pace with America’s in terms of growth and innovation. However, the situation has dramatically shifted, particularly under the leadership of the European Commission, which holds monopolistic power over legislative initiatives.
At the heart of the EU’s current agenda lies the Green Deal, an ambitious plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. While this initiative promotes renewable energy sources and carbon capture technologies, its implementation has had severe unintended
consequences. The primary method of reducing CO2 emissions has been through the de-industrialization of Europe, with manufacturing simply relocating to other regions like East Asia, South America, and the United States. This shift often results in higher global emissions due to transportation costs.
Despite nuclear power being the most effective known method for reducing CO2 emissions, EU leadership remains opposed to it. This suggests their true objective may be less about climate protection and more about fundamental economic transformation.
The EU’s handling of free speech has become equally concerning. Through the Digital Services Act (DSA), European authorities have established a system of content control that threatens social media platforms with substantial fines – up to 6% of their worldwide revenue. This legislation employs vague terminology regarding “hateful” or “discriminatory” content, effectively enabling arbitrary censorship that disproportionately targets conservative viewpoints while often overlooking extremist content from other ideological sources.
Immigration policy presents another critical challenge. Europe faces frequent incidents of violence involving illegal immigrants, yet EU law, combined with European Court of Human Rights regulations, prevents FRONTEX (the EU’s border service) from turning away unauthorized entrants. This has led to significant demographic changes in major European cities and increasing social tensions.
The democratic deficit within the EU has become increasingly apparent. Despite recent European Parliament elections showing a strong shift to the right, reflecting public dissatisfaction with policies under Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission, she secured another term with an even more aggressive environmental and censorship agenda. This disconnect between voter preferences and policy outcomes reveals the EU’s democratic facade.
Two factors explain this phenomenon: First, the dominant European People’s Party, led by Germany’s CDU/CSU, maintains strong
environmental positions comparable to left-wing parties elsewhere. Second, and more significantly, the EU functions more as an
authoritarian bureaucracy than a true democracy.
Recent revelations have exposed concerning practices, including the Commission’s financing of environmental NGOs to pressure Parliament members in favor of the Green Deal. Additionally, reports of Qatar’s influence in the European Parliament through financial incentives to promote its interests have emerged.
The EU’s current trajectory on migration, economic policy, freedom of expression, and democratic representation suggests it has become the source of Europe’s problems rather than their solution. European citizens find themselves funding a bureaucratic system that appears to operate contrary to their interests and preferences, raising serious questions about the organization’s future direction and legitimacy.