Attached is the White paper of the European Commission. Thinking about the Future can best be started by learning from history. In this respect, the White Paper already is a great deception. The Introduction is lopsided and self-congratulory; there is little one can learn from. As a consequence the Drivers of Europe's Future are just a more of the same story, filled with more of the same illusions. What is the importance of the largest single market and the second most used currency? When Britain is leaving and the Euro is built on a flawed concept and in perennial crisis? Europe may be attractive to many of its partners, but the so called good neighborhood policies with Russia, Turkey, the Middle East are based on illusions. Do we really think that globalization is a good thing? In fact it meant Americanization of the world economy. With "America First" the system of multilateral trade and investment is in serious crisis. The European Union since "Maastricht" may have been enlarged, but at the same time unity is no longer pursued and solidarity is seriously lacking. Even Reconciliation as a principle is in disrepair, where governments are turning Eurosceptic under pressure from the populist-nationalist rebellion in quite a few member countries.
Drivers and Scenario's are a modern, bureaucratic way to avoid dealing with the primary task of such a paper towards the Commemoration later this month in Rome: What is our vision for Europe today? Where do we want to go? What went wrong? As I wrote in my book on European Unification into the Twenty First Century: With the inspiration of Schuman and Solidarnosc , the EU must return to its original aim of federal politcal unity and be prepared to think and talk with a good dosis of self-criticism. European unification no longer is a succes story.