The main argument used by the founding fathers of the European Union to create a supranational entity was the idea that only as a unified entity could Europe match major powers, such as the United States, Russia, or China. This argument was parroted by pro-EU politicians to justify the increasing transfer of sovereignty from nation-states to the Brussels bureaucracy. As the EU was faced with the first real test, the trade conflict with the Trump administration, it miserably failed. Successful deals by smaller, but independent, nations demonstrate that the very raison d'être of the EU is wrong and suggest an urgent devolution of its powers, in order to ensure the survival of European nations.
As a reminder, here are quotes from EU “fathers” and “children.”
Jean Monnet, founder of the European Integration project, said at a 1943 meeting of the French government in exile in Algiers: “There will be no peace in Europe if the states are reconstituted on the basis of national sovereignty. ... The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee their peoples the necessary prosperity and social development. The European states must constitute themselves into a federation.”
“Sovereign nations are no longer the framework for solving today’s problems. … Our countries have become too small for today’s world, on the scale of … America and Russia today, China and India tomorrow,” he said on another occasion.
Monnet’s original assumption, more resembling a dogma than a scientific postulate, has remained unchanged so far, despite the growing evidence of its failure. For instance, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi stated in a speech to commemorate Jean Monnet in 2017, “Governments can only take effective action by acting together as a union.”
