THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. Reforming Europe in a time of war

7 Introduction The war in Ukraine makes reform of the European Union more necessary than ever Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has opened a new phase in the history of Europe. This change or Zeitenwende as Germany Chancellor, Olaf Scholtz, has dubbed it, has created an unprecedented political disturbance, which has led some countries, such as Germany, to redefine their role as actors on the European and global stage. In his now famous speech to the Reichstag on 27 February 2022, three days after the start of the war, he stated: “Europe is our framework for action. Only when we understand that, will we prevail over the challenges of our time. (...) We stand for peace in Europe.We will never accept the use of force as a political instrument.We will always advocate the peaceful resolution of conflicts. And we will not rest until peace in Europe is secured. And we are not alone in this – we are joined by our friends and partners in Europe and worldwide. Our greatest strength is our alliances! It is to them that we owe the great fortune our country has enjoyed for over thirty years: Living in a unified country, in prosperity and at peace with our neighbours. If we want the last thirty years to be more than a historical exception, then we must do everything we can to maintain the cohesion of the European Union, the strength of NATO, to forge even closer relations with our friends, our partners and all those who share our convictions worldwide. I am utterly confident that we can succeed in this. Because rarely have we and our partners been so resolved and so united.” Above and beyond any considerations regarding the war, we need to be aware that tomorrow always comes around sooner than we expect: the next elections to the Euro- pean Parliament are not far off. In May 2024, the European Parliament will be elected directly for the tenth time in its history. After the Conference on the Future of Europe, this is the next great test for supranational democracy. What is the situation of the EU in 2022? Is it stronger, richer and open to reform? During the more than 60 years of the EU’s existence, there has really only been one great reform, that which occurred in the 1990s and found expression in two internal events – the Maastricht Treaty, which created the euro as a single currency, and the huge expansion towards the east) – and one external event – the fall of the Soviet Union