Inevitably, the Europeans are making noticeable progress in matters of common security and defence. This is something that many citizens have wanted for decades. However, naive illusions about the state of the world have prevented this, as have national inertia. Sad but true: ‘master strategist’ Putin and the political will-o'-the-wisp Trump are unintentionally but significantly helping to accelerate this development.
Europe is under enormous military, political and economic pressure. Precisely because the situation is difficult, there is also cause for hope. To overcome the current challenges, we need new ideas, such as the so-called ‘28th regime’ or the Europe-wide corporation EU Inc. for start-ups. A Europe-wide petition is currently running for this. The EU must deliver now, there will be no second chance.
On 9 September 2024, Mario Draghi (who needs no introduction) presented his report ‘The future of European competitiveness’. According to the report, the tasks ahead are'huge‘, and so are the financial requirements. To cover these, one of his proposals was the'issue of a common secure asset’. (The term EU bonds is not mentioned at this point). (1) This would also serve, according to Draghi, as a central building block for the development of an investment and savings union. And that is what the following is about.
Europeans' scientific and technical achievements are often monetised elsewhere. This not only leaves taxpayers and employees at a disadvantage – Europe's autonomy is also threatened. This must change as a matter of urgency, according to the European start-up associations and European stock exchanges, which are sounding the alarm in a joint statement.
"The choice comes down to whether we will be shaped by events and the world around us or whether we will come together and build our future for ourselves." (1) So said Ursula von der Leyen at the beginning of her speech on 18 July 2024, in which she applied for a second term as President of the European Commission. Taking the future into their own hands - this is exactly what a number of European banks and savings banks are doing with their European Payments Initiative (EPI). In offering the digital wallet wero, they want to provide a standardised solution for all payment transactions across Europe.