We European Federalists are being often accused of extreme “idealism” and naïveté by those who criticize us.
That’s ironic though. Think about it, it’s the reality of the world that makes a united Europe necessary:
1) Mass immigration is a Europe-wide phenomenon that would be best addressed by a common response. Refugees and migrants are coming on the shores of all Southern member states, not just Italy or Malta. That’s Europe’s Southern border.
2) A study showed how a European Army could let member states save money on defense spending, thanks to the economy of scale. We need it in these insecure times.
3) With the main world powers having almost no respect for human rights (China) or with expansionist ambitions (Russia) or an unpredictable president (USA), we need to show that a valid, peaceful alternative is possible.
Naive idealism is that of those who want to scale back to petty nations and closed borders: the world is changing, you are falling behind.
Really, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, what other evidence do we need?
