EU finds pursuit of unity hampered by war, trade threats, Trump and other uncertainties

‘Everyone talks about unity, but actually everybody is out to get the best deal for themselves and to avoid the absolute worst’: diplomat

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European leaders met to discuss strengthening regional cooperation and partnerships at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brussels on December 18 . Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:04pm, 20 Dec 2024Updated: 2:39pm, 20 Dec 2024

A 30-metre purple banner, hanging on the side of the European Commission’s Berlaymont building, is festooned with stars and reads: “United for our Future, 2024-2029”.

Across the road, the leaders of the European Union member states and its institutions huddled in a room for hours on Wednesday to discuss how this unity could be achieved in the face of generational geopolitical upheaval.

But the pursuit of unity has taken on new significance in a moment of extreme turbulence and polarisation. Everywhere its leaders look, they see powers trying to divide it.

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In the United States, president-elect Donald Trump shows the same disdain for the EU that he does with most other multilateral forums. He has vowed to wage a trade war on the bloc and abandon Kyiv, leaving the funding of Ukraine’s war against Russia to Europe.

China, meanwhile, is often accused of trying to “divide and conquer” Europe by offering economic incentives to members to water down their support for broader EU action against Beijing.

On both fronts, Brussels fears EU members will pursue side deals of their own that would weaken the union.

“Everyone talks about unity, but actually everybody is out to get the best deal for themselves and to avoid the absolute worst,” one EU diplomat said when asked about Trump.