The Beer Tent Speech

After all, Donald Trump's arrival to the Presidency did not represent such a bad news to the European Union.

The isolationism policy of the magnate and the chaos lived in the White House are contributing to the change in the state of mind of citizens and community leaders in favor of Europe, said in an interview Pauline Massart, Deputy Director of the geopolitical unit of the Friends of Europe think-tank.

“Europe is awakening” to the alarming closeness between Moscow and Washington, the increasing instability in the Middle East and the anti-democratic turn given by its major partner in the region, Turkey, member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). At an internal level, the successive defeats of populists in the voting polls have been key to revert the negative atmosphere felt in regards to the European context.

“There is a favorable feeling of change, both among citizens and decision-makers, there is a conviction that the situation cannot continue being business as usual,” said Massart.

“But the question is: How can this turn into direct benefits for the people in terms of growth, employment, social security, and security?”

The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, led the way on May 28, after what has been dubbed as “The Beer Tent Speech.”

The German leader assured that it was time “to fight for our own future ourselves, for our destiny as Europeans.”

Merkel spoke on behalf of Germany, of more Europe and less United States. "This speech is, above all, a recognition of the fact the EU and its members must be less dependent on the allies that have become less reliable,” said to EL UNIVERSAL Yann-Sven Rittelmeyer, an analyst of the European Policy Centre in Brussels. “It also follows the reiterative invitations of Germans to create a stronger EU and a Germany which undertakes a more active role in the EU.”

Merkel knows that Germany cannot act alone, although it is the leading economic power of the continent and the country with more population in the community block.

Berlin's first step will be to activate the Franco-German axis, taking advantage of the fact that Emmanuel Macron has restored the illusion of the French people in relation to Europe.

The task is no simple. Rittelmeyer asserts that in recent years, France and Germany have diverted their paths, especially in the context of the eurozone crisis. Berlin highlighted the necessity of more rules and control over budget deficits, while Paris remarked the relevance of fiscal flexibility and investment to promote growth.

Furthermore, he recalls that the Franco-German axis tends to be criticized by other members and denoted as an axis which tries to impose its will on the rest. For the moment, Rittelmeyer remarks that the immediate challenge of the duo will be boosting the EU again.

Massart warns that the dangerous tendency the far right represents still lingers and can gain momentum if the double European crisis is not handled: the Union not being capable of solving the multiple problems that citizens face and the elite refusing to hear the population's worries.

“A feeling that we are safe for now prevails, but the sentiment of the citizenship must not be underestimated. Macron is probably our last chance. If he fails, the far right's victory will be impending on the next elections,” alerted the analyst.

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