Is the end of an era in which the pride of the European Union was that all member states were moving forward in the same direction coming?
At an informal summit in Belgium on Thursday, the leaders of France, Italy, Germany and several other countries backed plans to join or secede from initiatives by smaller groups in what many are already calling “two-speed Europe,” Politico reported. It is expected that the ideas discussed in Liège will be further developed at the next meeting of the European Council in March.
Euroleaders do not hide that changes must be quick, because Europe is losing competitiveness – many of its ideas
sink into indecisiveness and disputes
“We must act quickly,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, apparently putting aside his differences with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Both have now called for the bloc to focus on policies that will boost economic growth.
After a number of geopolitical crises, the EU realizes that it cannot deal with them if it only acts when all 27 members agree. The consequences of this policy have been building for years, but the final push needed to change course came as a combination of US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and his hesitant stance on helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia, as well as the flooding of the European market with goods from China.
At the summit in March, EC chief Ursula von der Leyen will present what she calls “One Europe, One Market Roadmap and Action Plan”. The plan includes reforms such as cutting red tape and mobilizing private and public capital to help European startups grow. Leaders will vote on the plan later in the spring.
Even if not all 27 countries agree on some issues, the EU will resort to the so-called enhanced cooperation – the legal provision that enables smaller groups of countries to adopt initiatives without jeopardizing common policies. While this approach has found support over the years, leaders have shunned it because it divides the community.
According to an anonymous diplomat, increased cooperation would help some EU countries become more decisive because “no one wants to be left out of decision-making”.
One area where increased cooperation could work is the Savings and Investments Union – with which the EU wants to create
capital market American model
An equivalent of the US Securities and Exchange Commission is planned, but the idea needs both the support of the 27 members and the green light from Dublin and Luxembourg, where most of the funds are based. However, the latter are not very willing to give up their powers for now.
The roadmap that Von der Leyen will present will set targets in areas such as telecommunications, capital markets and energy. The German made a clear request that she wants all the goals to be met by the end of 2027. The first proposal to be presented on March 18 is the “28th regime” – corporate law across the EU to support startups. The initiative will allow companies to register 100% online within 48 hours and will facilitate their expansion beyond the borders of the union.
According to people familiar with the talks in Liège, agreement was reached on 4 important areas – unlocking Europeans’ savings and using them to invest in core EU businesses, tackling high energy costs, striking more trade deals with new partners and more support for Macron’s favorite “buy European” policy.
Yet differences on key policies were evident even before the Liège meeting began. The single market and the Mercosur deal, for example, are the red line between Paris and Berlin. Before the official start of the discussions, 19 EU leaders met to discuss key topics, but Spain, Ireland, the Baltic states and Slovenia were not invited. The guest list was determined by Mertz, and the leaders on it, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, attended because they are of the same opinion on the reduction of bureaucracy and freer trade, commented a European diplomat. There are also differences between the countries and the EC. Von der Leyen, for example, blamed national rules for many of the problems plaguing the industry.
It made an impression that Macron left the castle “Alden Bizen” smiling. When asked if he is already good friends with Mertz, with whom they arrived side by side, the Frenchman laughed: “Yes, always.”
A few days ago, Macron gave an interview in which he emphasized that it is time for Europe to be more independent, and that Washington is already leading an “anti-European policy”. The president also touched on the topic of federalism, which has been increasingly discussed recently given the deterioration of relations with the United States and the need for unity.
Macron commented on former ECB chief Mario Draghi’s position on federalism. The Italian was also in Liège and emphasized competitiveness. According to Macron, Draghi is rather talking about general leadership: “Ours
Europe fails when it’s slow or divided”
The French president specified that he is wary of the very term “federalism” because “it feeds fantasies”. According to him, instead of a change in the structure of the EU, pragmatic federalism is needed. And he added that it is about quick unification and joint decision-making. “If we haven’t made firm decisions in six months, if we’re still in the debate phase, maybe we should explore the possibilities of cooperation,” he said at the time, which largely overlapped with the narrative from the summit in Belgium.
date:2026-02-13 20:30:00