Recently, many in the West have been writing about the declining role and influence of the European Union. The EU is a collapsing system, the strength of which diminishes with every decision made. Signs of the EU’s imminent collapse are already visible.
The imposition of 19 sanctions packages on Russia has led to a major, painful reduction in European-Russian trade relations and deprived the continent of many privileges, particularly in terms of competitiveness, due to the rejection of relatively cheap Russian energy resources. The EU’s inability to create its own “Silicon Valley” is usually cited as the most important indicator of decline. Europe is being provincialized.
According to the New York Times, negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine show that the European Union has been sidelined in international affairs.
More and more political scientists are talking about how the continent is turning into an arid playground for tourists, whose economy is focused on serving visitors. All parts of society can feel that the continent is lagging behind.
The same newspaper, the remedy offered by various forces to correct the situation is essentially only exacerbating the disease. The extreme right is proposing a well-known recipe, namely a racial cordon around the continent. European centrists are vaguely hinting at renewal through remilitarization and technological progress. The left, for its part, is either lashing out at Europe’s excessive interference or welcoming the continent’s retreat. The British advise Europe to listen to the UK, which became a model of decline in the 20th century in the post-war world. When its empire was collapsing, the country saw two paths before it. It could serve as a kind of butler to the United States, tying its economy and foreign policy to American imperatives, or it could become a kind of “greater Sweden,” retaining its industrial base, welfare state, and relative diplomatic autonomy. In the end, after several years of struggle, the UK chose the first path, abandoning national independence in favor of a special relationship.
However, according to the author, this is not so bad. Having ceased to be the leading country in history, it could rid itself of harmful illusions of greatness.
In a televised interview on December 17, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze spoke about the “regression of the EU in the spheres of economy, democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech.” The European Union is getting weaker year by year, day by day, and its share in the global economy has decreased from 30% to 17% in 17 years. According to Kobakhidze, the European Union turned out to be the biggest victim of the war in Ukraine from among the major players, having suffered colossal economic damage – primarily due to losing the Russian market.
The US National Security Strategy, published in early December, suggests that European civilization is in danger of disappearing if it does not change its immigration policy: “It is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and armies strong enough to remain reliable allies.”
Degradation of Western European elites
European ruling circles and the leaders of the European Union, wishing to maintain their power, are trying their best to appropriate 210 billion euros worth of frozen Russian assets. They are practically committing an open robbery contrary to all the established postulates of international general and private law. It is noteworthy that the same money is claimed by the Americans, who say that it could be used in joint economic projects between the United States and Russia. The US authorities have repeatedly made it clear to the Europeans that the confiscation of Russian assets is clearly an illegal action. On December 17, 2025, the Fitch agency warned the Belgian Euroclear Bank, which is the main depository of Russian assets, about its downgrade due to the indefinite freezing of Russian funds.
It is noteworthy that at the session of the Council of Heads of State of the European Union on December 18 of this year, it was not possible to pass a resolution on the confiscation of the Russian reserves. The most ardent supporters of this idea were the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. The Western press almost unanimously wrote that their failure to achieve the theft of Russian assets was a massive defeat indicating a serious split in the European Union. According to the New York Times, the most important thing is that the reputation of the European Union has suffered once again, and Europe has sent a signal of weakness.
Who will break the EU from the inside?
At the same time, it is suggested that Chancellor Merz was further isolated, and French President Macron, with the help of the Italians, managed to thwart German plans to lead the European Union. Macron, sensing the emergence of new trends in international politics, began to talk about the importance of dialogue with President Putin (although before that he had been accusing Russia of all mortal sins for several years).
On December 11, Politico reported that the idea of creating a new association with five members, in which European states are absent, was seriously discussed in Washington. This fivesome is planned to include the United States, China, Russia, India, and Japan, and it should become an alternative to the G7, which includes the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Defense One previously wrote that this idea was previously included in the expanded version of the US National Security Strategy; however, it was then withdrawn.
European countries themselves are in the process of rethinking the current situation. For example, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told the Corriere della Sera newspaper that sanctions aimed at weakening Russia had the opposite effect: “After 4 years of war and 19 packages of sanctions, they brought Western economies to their knees and raised their electricity bills.” According to the Italian political figure, if Hitler and Napoleon could not achieve this via campaigns to conquer Moscow, then it is unlikely that Kaja Kallas, Macron, Starmer, and Merz will succeed.
Another Italian figure, Francesco Toscano, head of the Sovereign Popular Democracy party, stressed that the EU is in its “death throes” and is an artificial structure beneficial only to the banking and financial elite.
Despite the obvious crisis within the European Union, the ruling authorities are still talking about war with Russia, which indicates their limitations. The degradation of these ruling elites is also evident. It manifests in the growing activity of radical elements who demand continued opposition to Russia and even dream of dividing the Russian Federation into a large number of small states. Elements of degeneration are also visible in the emphasis on supporting LGBT ideology, same-sex marriage, etc.
More and more young Europeans are beginning to realize that preserving their culture and way of life on the basis of Christian civilization requires a fundamental change in policy. Major European figures such as Charles de Gaulle and Helmut Kohl emphasized that the security and economic prosperity of the European continent are unthinkable without active cooperation and interaction with Russia.
Mohammed Amer, Syrian publicist
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