Erik Jones: HOW TO PREPARE THE EU FOR THE PERFECT STORM?

Helfried Carl in conversation with Erik Jones


HOW TO PREPARE THE EU FOR THE PERFECT
STORM?
The New European Commission FACING TRUMP, PUTIN and the
Multi-Crisis  


True to the slow pace of European decision making, the new
European Commission under its President Ursula von der Leyen will
take office half a year after the elections to the European
Parliament.


The challenges for the new Commission are obvious: the war in
Ukraine is still raging, the European economy is comparatively
weak and the European Green Deal is an immense challenge. Europe
has little or no influence on the ongoing war in the Middle East.
In addition, on November 5, 2024, Donald Trump was elected the
47th US president after a triumphant election victory – this time
with an even more radical agenda than during his first term. His
friends in the EU, like Hungary’s Prime Minister Orbán and his
right-wing allies, will try to block any movements towards
greater foreign policy cohesion towards his administration, but
also that of Putin’s Russia.


Europe is facing a crucial test. How can it manage to protect its
interests independently and develop its own defense policy in the
face of US disengagement? Will the democratic forces prevail? And
what role does the EU Commission play in this?





Prof. Erik Jones is Director of the Robert
Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University
Institute and Member of the Scientific Committee of the
Institute’s renowned annual State of the Union Conference.
 He has published extensively on topics related to European
politics, with a special focus on political economy. He is
co-editor of the Journal Government & Opposition. His
commentary has appeared in the Financial Times, the New York
Times, and other major newspapers and magazines across Europe and
North America.





Helfried Carl, diplomat, since 2019 partner of
the Innovation in Politics Institute in Vienna and founder of the
European Capital of Democracy initiative. From 2014-2019 he
served as Austria’s Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. From
2008-2014, he was Chief of Cabinet and foreign policy advisor to
the late President of the Austrian Parliament (National Council),
Barbara Prammer.