Also from a personal conviction, it is better to clarify immediately. A united Europe is always and in any case a great ideal to believe in and work for. The current European Union, however, flounders, does not have the impact it should on the international political scene and sometimes stumbles into at least embarrassing if not humiliating sorties, such as thanking Pakistan for a peace mediation: practically the role of a spectator who applauds but not that of a protagonist. One wonders where the Europe we dreamed of and want has gone. How it was possible to reach this impasse is described by Giulio Meotti in “Titanic Europe. The Mysterious End of the European Union” (Liberilibri, 256 pages, 18 euros).
The book’s title is undoubtedly somewhat tranchant. And in some measure, so is the book. The analogy with a ship heading straight for sinking seems to leave no hope of salvation. Add to that the cover has a macabre something that makes you think of blood dripping from the Old Continent and, so far, everything seems to give reason to populists and nationalists of various kinds who have never believed in European unity. But the first impression is misleading, and just reading carefully you realize that “Titanic Europe” does not take catastrophic conclusions for granted. Rather, it should be considered a sort of manual of mistakes made over the years not only by the Eurocrats but also by almost all European governments. Perhaps it errs on the side of optimism, but it is legitimate to think that understanding where and when mistakes were made helps ensure they do not happen again and that the ship manages, even if at the last moment, to avoid the fatal impact with the iceberg. Put in these terms, reading “Titanic Europe” is more useful to a convinced Europeanist than to those who no longer want to hear about European unity because they are so sure they already know everything.
The list of errors described by Giulio Meotti is impressive but also enlightening. The lack of a truly European vision has caused shortsighted or wrong choices. Sloppiness leaves a legacy of a mass of problems from which Europe seems to let itself be suffocated. Then it is not said that the solutions are those indicated by “Titanic Europe.” On the contrary, it is more than legitimate to disagree provided, however, that other solutions are sought and, contrary to the past, put into practice. There has been no attention to demographic decline. The management of immigration, more than leading to a multiethnic society, has led to the creation of separate and often conflicting worlds. It is not a good example of industrial policy if the largest steel plant in the world is in China but made with plants decommissioned from France and Germany. Excesses of enthusiasm have accelerated decisions on the green deal whose consequences are yet to be verified with the result that while Europe is struggling, China is calmly responsible for about a third of global pollution. Based on the facts, “Titanic Europe” points out the problems on which the course must be corrected. Hoping to have time to avoid the iceberg.
