EUROPA, ARISE: TRUMP’S RETURN HAS SHATTERED THE ILLUSION

Donald Trump’s return to the White House marks the end of the transatlantic alliance as we knew it. Gone are the days of polite illusions and strategic ambiguity. What we face now is not a passing disruption, but a deliberate recalibration of American foreign policy, one that abandons multilateralism, weaponizes the dollar, and places unbearable pressure on allies, particularly Europe, to fend for themselves or fall in line.

For Europe, this moment is not just a crisis; it is a historic reckoning. And paradoxically, it is also our greatest opportunity since the signing of the Treaties of Rome.

Dependency Has Become Dangerous

Europe remains one of the wealthiest regions on Earth. Yet beneath that wealth lies a dangerous fragility. Our military deterrence depends on American weapons. Our digital infrastructure is built on Chinese platforms. Our industries rely on foreign capital. Even the stability of our financial markets is tied to U.S. Treasuries.

This is not mere inefficiency; it is geopolitical exposure. Trump’s second rise to power has made something painfully clear: no one is coming to save us. If Europe is to survive and thrive in a world of power politics, it must do what all serious powers have done, stand up, scale up, and unite.

The Tools Are in Our Hands

Europe is not weak. We command a €14 trillion single market. The euro is the world’s second-most-held currency. We have a highly educated population and one of the strongest industrial bases globally. But these assets remain fragmented and underutilized. Every year, more than €300 billion in savings leaves Europe or sits idle. Our startups are starved of capital. And our citizens log into European services through American tech.

This status quo is intolerable. Europe doesn’t need another white paper, it needs a binding, coordinated action plan. The next leap forward is the completion of our economic and financial union. This must include a true Capital Markets Union with unified regulation and pan-European investment vehicles; a real Eurobond market to phase out fragmented national debt and introduce a safe European asset; and a global role for the euro, giving us a monetary shield on par with the dollar.

We propose July 1st, 2027 as our launch date, the second founding moment of the euro.

The Euro Must Become a Strategic Weapon

Under Trump, the U.S. dollar has become a tool of coercion. Allies are sanctioned. Dissenters are punished. Trade is weaponized. A financial system built on trust has become one of control.

Europe cannot be sovereign while its economic bloodstream flows through Washington. If the EU is to protect its interests, the euro must evolve from a mere medium of exchange into a strategic weapon. That means scaling up its international use, expanding the Eurobond market, completing the digital euro, and investing in European defense and industrial autonomy.

The euro must not only store value, it must defend it.

Strategic Autonomy: Not as a Slogan, But as a System

Strategic autonomy cannot remain a Brussels buzzword. Trump has proven that reliance on the United States is no longer pragmatic, it is suicidal. Europe must be able to defend itself, finance itself, supply itself, and decide for itself.

This doesn’t mean retreating into autarky. It means having the capacity to act alone, even as we continue to work with partners when interests align. Autonomy demands more than declarations, it demands action across defense, energy, AI, infrastructure, and foreign policy. Only through economic scale, technological sovereignty, and political courage can we achieve true independence.

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A New European Constitutional Moment

Jacques Delors famously said, “Europe does not fall in love with a market.” He was right. Markets build prosperity, but sovereignty requires vision. The European Union must now match its economic weight with institutional power. That means a real fiscal union, a pan-European executive, and a European Senate to represent all citizens at scale.

Delors gave us the euro. Trump gives us the reason to finish what we started.

This Is Europe’s 1776 Moment

Trump’s return is a rupture, but it is also a release. It liberates us from delusions of eternal American protection. It ends our dependency illusion. And it forces a defining question: what kind of power does Europe want to be?

We have two paths ahead. One is nostalgia, stagnation, and irrelevance. The other is boldness, unity, and leadership. The Pan-European Foundation calls for a new economic architecture, a strategic deployment of the euro, a binding July 2027 timeline for full financial union, and the rise of a proud, powerful, democratic European sovereignty.

This is more than a proposal. It is a revolution of responsibility. The old order is shifting. The future is open.

Whether the 21st century becomes the European century is up to us.