Europe is discarding the myth of its own irrelevance

The narrative of a dying continent has become a global staple. From J.D. Vance’s warnings about a loss of vitality to China’s suggestions that Europe abandon its protectionist stance, external observers routinely predict the bloc’s disintegration. Each crisis—whether the euro’s instability, Brexit, or the pandemic—has been met with premature obituaries. Instead of crumbling, the European Union has consistently leveraged these shocks to build new capacities, transforming its fragmented structure into a unique system of influence.

Europe’s internal struggle stems from a lingering impostor syndrome. By measuring its success against the raw dynamism of the United States or the sheer scale of China, the continent often overlooks the originality of its own power. It has pioneered a model of effective sovereignty that eschews the rigid, federalist superstate in favor of collective action. This approach allows member states to secure public goods—such as trade bargaining power, energy resilience, and coordinated industrial policy—that no single nation could provide on its own. While the European process of adaptation often appears messy and slow, it represents a deliberate balancing act. Rather than eliminating contradictions, the bloc integrates them, turning pressure into institutional change. The ability to survive systemic shocks without descending into authoritarianism remains its primary, yet under-appreciated, achievement.