The United States of Europe: A necessary state transition

In the late 18th century, the first President of the United States, George Washington, stated that "One day, after the model of the United States of America, the United States of Europe will be created." A few decades later, in 1849, one of the main representatives of French Romanticism, Victor Hugo, declared that "A day will come when all the nations of this continent, without losing their distinctive character or their glorious individuality, will unite in a higher entity and form the European brotherhood. A day will come when there will be no more battlefields but fields of ideas. A day will come when bullets and bombs will be replaced by votes. A day will come when we will see the United States of America and the United States of Europe face to face, reaching out to each other across the sea." Even later, in May 1930, the French Foreign Minister, Aristide Briand, formally submitted the first comprehensive political proposal in favor of European unification, known as the "Briand Plan."

These views, among many others of course, despite being expressed by entirely different people, for different reasons, and during different time periods, are remarkably similar in their content. This is because these individuals, through the opinions they expressed, each in their own way, emphasized that close cooperation among the people of Europe could solve most of the problems they were facing at that time. In other words, they recognized the importance and necessity of European unification to ensure peace and democracy in Europe.

Today, understanding deeply the glorious history of the European Union, we have the moral obligation towards future generations of Europeans to take the next step towards European Integration, which is no other than the further unification of the people of Europe and ultimately, the formation of a federal state. This is a vision that, despite the adversities, must be realized to ensure the overall sustainability of the European project.

Why is the formation of a European federal state deemed necessary?

The international financial crisis of 2007, which affected and continues to affect many European countries, including Greece, the refugee issue and the related situation in Middle East and North Africa, the rise of the far-right, the climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, the rapid increase in inflation, even stagflation in countries like Greece, Russia's invasion in Ukraine, and the energy crisis make the formation of a European federal state an urgent necessity for the salvation of the Europeans both today and in the future. To effectively resolve all these issues, it is imperative to deepen the cooperation among the people of Europe, which inevitably leads to the creation of a new state entity that will succeed the current unique status of the European Union.

How is a federal state defined?

Generally, a federal state consists of multiple federated states that have united into it. It has its own authority, which is distinct and superior to the authority of the federated states. It has its own bodies (legislative, executive, and judicial) that are also different from the respective bodies of the federated states. The allocation of competencies between the bodies of the federal state and those of the federated states is determined by the federal state. The territory of the federal state coincides with the territories of the federated states. In the federal state, there are two legal orders, that of the federal state and that of the federated states. However, only the federal state is "sovereign."

Examples of modern federal states are the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, India, Pakistan, and others.

What hinders the realization of this idea?

Besides the well-known "Eurosceptics," whose positions will not be analyzed in this article as they stem from an entirely different ideological basis fundamentally opposed to any substantial effort of European deepening and enlargement, one of the main "enemies" of this endeavor are all those who fear that their national sovereignty will be ceded even more compared to the current situation.

However, what supporters of this view overlook is that the citizens of the European Union have been enjoying the benefits of a structure with legal force superior to national constitutions for many decades. For instance, for many years and especially with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, the EU has had a single legal personality that allows it to sign international treaties on behalf of all its member states. It also has a supreme political body (the European Council), legislative bodies (the European Parliament and the Council of the EU), an executive body (the Commission), and judicial bodies (the Court of Justice of the EU and the European Court of Auditors). And of course, for decades, European citizens have been continuously experiencing the countless benefits of the single internal market and the single currency established by the EU.

All these, and many more of course, essentially prove that we are already very close to the formation of a federal state. Perhaps closer than those opposing this idea think.

What would be the benefits?

With an area of 4,233,262 square kilometers, a population of 450,000,000 people, a nominal GDP of almost 15 trillion euros, and its powerful currency, the euro, the European Union has been a global superpower for many years. The problem is that despite having the characteristics of a global superpower, the EU does not behave as such. For example, in the recent and multilayered harmful Russo-Ukrainian conflict, it is observed that the EU follows the policy of its ally, the USA, and fails to take coordinated initiatives for an issue that, for geopolitical reasons, primarily concerns itself and secondarily the USA. During the Cold War, the issue of peace and stability in Europe was, for the most part, managed by the USA because at that time, the European Union neither had the appropriate structure nor the power to act for itself. However, for at least two decades now, while the European Union has the power to control the developments on the European continent, unfortunately, its political structure does not allow it to do so and for this very reason, it must change or, more accurately, evolve.

Let me explain why this view is correct with a current example. Using hypothetical names, a European Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with a European Ministry of National Defense would confront our current adversary, Russia, based on our national interests. The planning and implementation of a specific policy towards Russia could be decided incomparably faster and more effectively compared to the sluggish decision-making system which is in place today. At the same time, there would no longer be German, Italian, French, Spanish, etc. interests, which in some cases are also conflicting, but there would henceforth be only one interest: the European, that is, the national.

A European federal state could even resolve the major Greek national issues. Let's imagine, for example, how different the relations between Turkey and Greece would be if the latter were a federated state of the "USE" and not "just" a member state of the EU in its current form.

Conclusion

After the countless sufferings endured by the people of Europe over the centuries, we have the moral obligation, not only to our ancestors but also to the young people of our land, of Europe, to do our best to honor them. The former for the legacy they left us and the latter for the struggles I am sure they will undertake to defend our great achievements. Thus, I believe that no matter how many differences exist among the people of Europe, not only they are not unbridgeable but rather, they do not even need to be bridged because these differences are what make us stronger all together in the face of our common challenges.

The formation of a European federal state that will be large in area and population, sovereign, institutionally strong, multicultural, and of course, democratic will constitute the realization of the greatest vision that has ever existed in the history of Europe.