Venezuela: the impossible dilemma

We should not have to choose between celebrating the fall of a dictator like Maduro or the breakdown of the international order. 

Yet this is the impossible dilemma that the United States has presented us with through its intervention in Venezuela. From Sánchez in Spain, who signed a statement with several South American governments warning the US, to Meloni, who declared the intervention legitimate, European reactions have been varied, culminating in a statement by von der Leyen that was exceptionally devoid of political meaning. Ironically, this situation has provided an example of how the new US National Security Strategy exploits internal divisions within the EU to weaken us, a goal that has been explicitly stated.

However, we can choose not to remain immobile in the face of these events. Even in the face of the Commission's ineptitude, Member States could launch a European constituent assembly – an EU 2.0 – whose representatives are democratically and directly elected by citizens. They could also take action to create new supranational alliances to put pressure on authoritarian leaders such as Trump and hold them accountable for their actions – possibly abandoning the air of moral superiority and double standards that have alienated the Global South. 

Or even, without going that far, tomorrow the EU states could finally decide to activate Articles 42 and 46 of the treaties, laying the foundations for a common defense supervised by the Parliament. Furthermore, they could activate Article 311 and lay the foundations for a common tax system by creating their own economic resources, with the double benefit of stopping the fiscal hemorrhage caused by large multinationals evading taxes and supporting citizens who are tired of having to choose between financing wars and making ends meet.

Faced with a concrete threat such as a military attack, those who do not change are doomed to lose. The EU still has one last chance to rebuild the future.

Article by Francesca Romana D’Antuono, Co-President of Volt Europa

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