Henry Kissinger, the 56th U.S. Secretary of State, has been attributed with asking the infamous question, “Who do I call if I want to speak to Europe?” This simple question exposes the main weaknesses of the EU. It does not speak with one voice, and institutional deficits paralyze the union from within. On the wider world stage, Europe appears slow and divided in decision-making. These dangerous shortcomings could lead to a fragmented and weakened future if they remain unresolved. Our answer is clear: We need a united, decisive Europe.

Commentary by Leandro Burgdorff, Markos Markoulis, Esther Pedro

Europe emerged from the ruins of war rather than from abstract ideals. In 1950, with the memory of conflict still fresh, Robert Schuman proposed tying Europe’s coal and steel industries together so closely that another war between old rivals would become “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible”. That was the first European promise: peace through interdependence, and a kind of solidarity built on shared interests, with politics anchored in human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. Later, the single market gave that promise a more practical, everyday form through the free movement of people, goods, services and capital. For a long time, that seemed enough. Europe could think of itself as a peace project, a market, and a community of values. But the world has changed faster than the Union’s institutions have. Russia’s war against Ukraine has pushed security back to the center of European politics. The return of Donald Trump has reopened questions many Europeans had assumed could wait: how dependent we are on the United States, how exposed we remain to pressure, and whether a Union built for compromise can still move quickly when it must. It is no coincidence that EU leaders nowadays talk more often about sovereignty, defense readiness, strategic dependencies and the resilience of our democratic systems. The Union was meant to make Europeans stronger together than as separate nations. Yet in times when unity matters most, Europe still looks too slow, too divided, and lacking in political unity. A project created to move beyond national interests cannot fall back into them when global pressure grows.

A Union Paralyzing Itself

A key reason why the EU often struggles to keep pace lies in the power of the national governments. Every European bill needs the approval of a majority of EU member states in the Council, before it even gets a chance to be voted on in the Parliament. When it comes to vital issues, such as foreign policy or taxation, unanimity is required: all 27 member states must agree on a common position. This gives each government veto power, which can also be used to block decisions in pursuit of unrelated objectives. Hungary, for example, has repeatedly delayed aid packages to Ukraine to force a release of frozen EU funds to the country. So there are massive amounts of diplomacy needed. As a result, decision-making is slow and heavily dependent on compromise - often producing the lowest common denominator rather than ambitious progress. The EU does not only have an efficiency problem, but it also partially lacks democratic legitimacy.

Power by the People?

In a democracy, power is meant to rest with the people. Therefore, it is questionable that the EU’s only directly elected institution, the European Parliament, still lacks a vital power that every national parliament in the EU has. Instead of being able to directly translate their citizens’ needs into law, the members of the European Parliament depend on the European Commission, which, as the only EU institution, has the right to propose legislation to the Parliament. The question remains: Why does the Commission believe it understands the European citizens’ needs better than their directly elected representatives? Speaking of the Commission – do you remember how you elected Ursula von der Leyen as EU Commission president? You do not? Exactly – because you never did. The Commission lacks direct democratic legitimacy: its president is nominated through an opaque process within the European Council and only then elected by the European Parliament. Here again, the Parliament gets outplayed by another institution, which is once again not directly elected by us, the European citizens.

"CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2019 – Source: EP


Not directly elected by the people: Ursula von der Leyen, after securing her role as Commission president (2019). Foto: Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2019 – Source: EP

You see, the European legislative process is quite complicated and thus difficult to understand for every EU citizen without expert knowledge of EU politics. This leads to a lack of accountability, as nobody knows who is responsible for the numerous political decisions the EU takes every day. And if the citizens cannot identify who is responsible for political decisions, it risks that dissatisfaction with particular decisions leads to general dissatisfaction with the concept of the European Union.

Weakness has a Price

Europe can no longer pretend that its old assumptions are enough. Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine brought war back to the continent and forced Europe to think in terms of power, defence and security again. At the same time, Donald Trump’s return to the White House triggered a new fear: that the United States may no longer be the reliable shield many Europeans took for granted for decades.

Even his renewed threats of a possible takeover of Greenland, which is an autonomous part of EU-member state Denmark and leaving NATO, or at least not defending its member states, were a reminder that raw geopolitics is back, and that Europe cannot assume protection from the United States.

Besides tanks and borders, it is also about money, trade and economic dependence. The US tariffs announced in 2025 showed that trade can be turned into a weapon overnight, with key European exports suddenly exposed to political blackmail. The EU was forced into a deal that amounted to roughly 1.35 trillion dollars in economic commitments, including investment in US companies and energy purchases.


American Blackmail?: Ursula von der Leyen assuring investments of around 1.35 trillion dollars to the US. (2025) . Foto: Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-4.0: Fred Guerdin / © European Union, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service

Europe’s wake-up call

China, meanwhile, is not waiting for Europe to get its act together. In key sectors like cars and technology, Chinese competition is ahead of the game, while Europe still struggles to defend its own industrial base. And instability around the Strait of Hormuz shows how quickly crises far from Brussels can hit Europe’s energy security and economic nerves. That is why Europe is now scrambling to find new partners and reduce old dependencies. The push for deals with Mercosur and India is vital, as Europe now faces a world in which relying too heavily on old arrangements has become dangerous. But new trade deals and summit declarations will not be enough if Europe fails to act quickly, speak clearly and defend its own interests.


Embarking new economic horizons: Securing a trade deal with India (2026). Foto: Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-4.0: © European Union, 2026 / Frédéric Sierakowski / EC - Audiovisual Service

In a world where the role of the powerful is replacing international law, weakness gets punished. A Europe that is slow, divided and inward-looking will not shape the new order. It will be shaped by it. As much as we love our union, the EU is not serving its citizens effectively and needs to adapt to persist in a changing world. Throughout its history, it has brought positive change that improved the quality of life for all Europeans in the past, but now it needs an update.

It needs to get rid of the unanimity principle in the council and therefore enable more efficient decisions at the EU level. It needs to strengthen the parliament with the right to introduce legislation. It needs to allow itself to speak with one voice by directly electing its commission president. Moving forward, there are two possible futures. One where Europe is more united and one where it is more divided. One thing is certain: Europe cannot continue like this. To achieve real reform, a change to the treaty is needed. If that change came, Europe would become a global heavyweight worth taking seriously. One that could finally answer the question of who to call.

This article was written as part of the “Newsroom Europe” project. The project brings together young Europeans from Germany, Cyprus, and Ireland, who report in international editorial teams on European issues. Its aim is to strengthen journalistic skills and to foster European exchange. The project is organized by the European Academy Berlin. Treffpunkteuropa.de is the project’s media partner.