Putin’s cold-blooded attack on Ukraine has shown that the member states of the European Union have many more common tasks to perform than the EU treaty currently provides for.
Not only in terms of defence, but also in terms of energy and resilience, a single market offers the potential for improvement that we need today.
Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) expressly provides that energy policy should serve solidarity between the Member States and the functioning of the internal market.
The European Union must therefore act urgently in the following four areas:
The dependence on Russian natural gas, which became clear again with the invasion of Ukraine – 75 percent of the supply of pipeline-bound gas is purchased by EU states – made it clear to everyone that the European internal energy market must be thought of more integratively and better designed.
Not only the so-called “taxonomy” proposal of the EU Commission, with which the creditworthiness of types of energy is to be evaluated under financial market law considerations, but also the other proposals of the “Green Deal” are already taking important steps in the right direction.
That is why the moment has now come to create a single internal energy market. Primary energy and electricity must be made available throughout Europe with strong and resilient networks across borders.
The European energy infrastructure needs to be deepened in order to make the system flexible. With cross-border connections, we form a European interconnected grid in which electricity can be transmitted across national borders more easily, efficiently and cheaply.
This is the only way Europe can ensure its energy supply is secure, sustainable and affordable in the 21st century.
It is clear that there is not always a “business case” for cross-border energy infrastructure projects, as evidenced by the hesitation in the expansion of energy lines between Spain and France in recent years.
>> Read here: Russia’s revenge: Europe is not prepared for a possible gas supply stop
Concerns about increased competition from cross-border lines, to which one’s own energy companies would be exposed due to the influx of cheaper alternatives, are slowing down the process of Europeanization.
However, now is the time to prioritize a pan-European approach to energy supply.
Defence: Europe needs joint equipment projects
Years ago, the European Parliament provided more funds for defense research within the research framework program.
Parliament has thus followed the basic idea of Article 296 of the TFEU, which already provides for a Europe-wide tender for defense equipment. Unfortunately, in recent years, the Member States have primarily put national interests first.
The German idea of using the special fund to purchase the Israeli anti-missile defense system only for Germany is also extremely naïve: after all, how is Germany supposed to defend itself if our neighboring countries aren’t safe too?
So we also need a European fighter plane, a European tank and a European drone. The right decisions must now be prepared for this.
Europe is only safe when everyone is safe! Even if there is still a long way to go on the road to a European army, joint projects can finally point the way, at least when it comes to equipment!
Digital levy: It protects democracy
After the completion of the competition law rules in the Digital Markets Act, which finally allows the enforcement of European rules to be applied more quickly, the Digital Services Act is now coming.
As a result, only legal content should be available on the major Internet platforms in the future. The fact that there are still doubts about this is a sign of failure – especially since those affected are the largest companies in the world.
In view of the effort that the authorities – and in the case of the so-called “very large online platforms” the European Commission – have in supervising these companies, it is by no means disproportionate to charge an administration fee for this.
After all, if you want to use the internal market, you also have to participate in complying with the rules.
A functioning enforcement of the digital rules is in everyone’s interest. This not only strengthens the European market, but also takes action against disinformation and thus protects democracy, which is essential in the current crisis.
Resilience: The internal market offers means for joint crisis management
Nowhere is Europe’s inner cohesion better demonstrated than at the former borders of the member states.
These boundaries have largely disappeared from everyday life, but they are still organizational barriers in situations for which better options are available.
The admission of refugees from Ukraine is an example that shows that good will alone is not a concept.
Refugees coming from Ukraine need a hassle-free cash exchange from hryvnia to euros. The digital self-registration of those arriving should also be made possible.
The activation of the Mass Influx Directive and the pledge of European funds to support member states dealing with a large influx of refugees are important steps. They show that there are also functioning common approaches to crisis management.
But the Covid crisis has also shown that cross-border cooperation on health issues is not yet up to date.
A forward-looking use of the resources of the health systems of the Member States, a coordinated quarantine policy across national borders, keeping the transport routes open for medical material and food, but also for nurses, surgical doctors and service technicians has not been as successful in this crisis as the citizens of of the European Union can expect.
Even in times of crisis, the domestic market remains our most important economic engine
For this reason, the European Commission must present an ambitious proposal in the summer with the so-called “Single Market Emergency Instrument”, which focuses on the interests of the citizens in the border regions.
It is important that it is not just about reducing the bureaucracy of existing rules. The Commission must make concrete proposals on how we should deal with current and future crises in practice.
We must ensure that we do not paralyze our internal market, which is our most important economic engine even in crisis situations, through border closures and organizational obstacles at times when we need it most.
The attack on Ukraine showed great solidarity among EU countries. Whether Ukraine will join the European Union soon or only in the medium term depends primarily on the member states.
But it is already clear that the EU has to do its homework if it wants to deal successfully with today’s challenges.
The authors:
dr Christian Ehler is industrial policy spokesman for the EPP Group in the European Parliament
Markus Ferber is economic policy spokesman for the EPP Group in the European Parliament
dr Andreas Schwab is internal market policy spokesman for the EPP Group in the European Parliament
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