On the eve of Europe Day (9 May), the bloc finds itself at a critical juncture in the face of geopolitical tensions.
It has a lot on its plate. Firstly, there is the existential threat posed by Russia, posed by the continued war in Ukraine, as well as by reports that President Vladimir Putin could be eyeing a territorial expansion in the coming years.
Concerns on the eastern front largely revolve around defence capacity. Comments coming from the White House are adding fuel to the fire, hinting both at a shift in the US’ role in the alliance, as well as considerations to remove NATO members from the group (which NATO’s treaty does not allow).
Meanwhile, recent threats from China over plans to strengthen the bloc’s industrial policy align with the EU have raised questions of whether a trade war is looming.
Pressure is also coming from the West: Impatient to have the EU-US trade deal implemented, US President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on EU-made cars from 15% to 25%.
How is the EU responding to these challenges? Is it unifying the EU27? We explore the matter with Tomi Huhtanen, the Executive Director of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, and Euronews’ senior correspondent Shona Murray.
Also in this podcast, Brussels, my love? looks ahead to the start of the Eurovision Song Contest, an integral aspect of European culture. But will the boycott by key players cast a shadow over the 70th edition?
United or divided?
One conflict which has seen European countries form a united front is Trump’s tirades against NATO allies. In many of the continent’s capitals, it has opened leaders’ eyes to the idea that they may have to fast-track a plan B for European security in case the US is no longer willing to help defend allies.
“I think [Trump] has eventually helped to unify Europe. It took a while, and they’ve bent over backwards for Donald Trump,” Murray said. “But I think it really came to a bit of a head back in January when Donald Trump threatened the territory of Denmark and said he would take over Greenland.”
Murray noted that Europeans now agree that they need to have a European pillar within NATO, and that “they have to move much faster, independently, away from the United States’ security architecture. “How they do that is another question because they’re so intertwined, but they will be doing that.”
One matter on which many in Brussels hope the EU27 will now speak with one voice is Ukraine. This hope was raised by the departure of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who garnered a reputation as the main obstructor of aid to Kyiv, from the Council table.
“I would say that Europe has been united on Russia. We have had the issue with Hungary, but now that issue is gone,” said Huhtanen. “I think Polish Prime Minister [Donald] Tusk already commented on this, saying how the atmospherics are already different from before.”
He noted that the main challenge is the continued war in Ukraine. “What we are seeing is that Russia is becoming more and more desperate. As they are not able to gain ground, they are attacking the civilian population in Ukraine more and more.”
The Russian aggression against Ukraine is also restraining Brussels from taking a stand against Washington, including when it comes to trade negotiations.
“I think there’s so much at stake, and what does that stand look like, and what does it achieve? I think that the decision by the EU, at least by the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, is one of appeasement because she wants to ensure that Donald Trump stays onside when it comes to Ukraine and general European security. And that is above everything else,” Murray said.
She added that this is likely also the reason von der Leyen was “so eager to accept” the 15% tariff rate at Turnberry, Trump’s golf course in southwest Scotland, where the EU-US trade deal was signed last year.
A very different Eurovision
One event that has historically aimed to bring together Europeans — its permanent slogan “United Through Music” reflects this goal — is the Eurovision Song Contest.
However, this year’s edition will likely fail to do so. The question of how to respond to Israel’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, which has split the EU27 politically, is also dividing Europe on stage.
Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands will not take part in the competition as part of a boycott over Israel’s participation, which was confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) at the end of last year.
Dean Vuletic, historian and author of the book Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest, told Euronews that the fact Israel was not excluded from Eurovision, even though five European National Public Service broadcasters decided to boycott the contest, “shows that there are divisions in Europe over how to redefine relations with Israel.”
“What we’re going to be looking for this year in Eurovision, certainly the biggest political issue will be how Israel fares in the voting and whether Israel manages to do as well as it has done in the past two years and how this is going to be interpreted politically.”
Broadcasters across Europe challenged the Eurovision Song Contest voting system last year, after an overwhelming public vote in favour of Israel’s entry saw it narrowly miss out on victory.
Vuletic noted that, despite this cloud hanging over the 70th edition of the song contest, Eurovision “remains the biggest cultural event uniting Europeans.”
“This boycott will not change that. We have to wait and see what the ongoing legacy of the boycott is actually going to be, and how Eurovision might change in the upcoming years, considering the very turbulent period that we’re finding ourselves in.”