PROF. RYSZARD LEGUTKO: Debate on the State of the European Union 2023

Is the EU in better shape today than fifteen years ago? The answer is emphatic no. To paraphrase Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Something is rotten in the state of the union. There is more than ever instability, tension, and uncertainty. To quote a recent issue of the Economist: “Inflation remains hot … Officials are increasingly worried by the cloudy growth outlook. … the bloc is facing recession”. It is your credit that you initiated the sanctions against Russia. But again, one cannot be all too happy. Before the invasion, the Commission did not dare to do something about the German-Russian energy alliance. Through this refusal to act, the Commission bears some responsibility for the depth of the energy crisis. The migration policy has been a failure. Despite the Commission’s hustle and bustle, the people smuggling business is thriving, and the disintegration of the social fabric continues. In Western Europe, the number of thefts, robberies, and rapes has soared – about thirty rapes for one hund