Europe has always been the birthplace of greatness. Empires have risen and fallen, fierce battles have been fought, but also culture and knowledge have thrived in our continent. After a long and complex process, Europe has finally reached a very important goal: peace. For the first time in centuries, Europeans have been able to trade, exchange, travel and speak without being worried or threatened by violence, intolerance or discord. Europe has accomplished a lot with the monetary, political and cultural union of twenty eight countries. From Aristotle to Picasso, Europeans have a great deal of knowledge to mankind. But thinking Europe is ideal is being naive. Our Union faces today an enormous challenge, perhaps we are living the greatest trial this community of countries has gone through since its foundation.

According to a poll made by the Real Instituto Elcano in April this year and published by EL PAIS, 50% of the German population sees Spain as an unreliable country. 44% of respondents think the country I come from is weak, and 40% deem Spanish citizens as idles. On the other hand, according to another poll organized by Transatlantic Trends , 60% of the Europeans believe that the Euro has been negative for the economies of their countries. We can choose to ignore these facts, to simply continue implementing the same policies that have partly caused this general mood, or we can act. I think we should do something about it.

My opinion is that Europe (the EU) should be in 2030 a continent with more social justice and equality for its citizens. All citizens should be equal in rights and in obligations, regardless where they live or what their personal circumstances are. The policies that are implemented in the EU should be designed to protect and expand these rights and the welfare of all citizens of the Union, not of a particular country or sector that doesn´t take into consideration the general interest.

The governments should hand over more responsibilities to the European Commission. This body should become the leading institution of European politics, it should decide the most important guidelines and goals the Union wants to achieve. Governments should implement these policies, perhaps adjusting them to the social reality of each country, but always accepting and carrying out the core of these plans and initiatives.

But to give more authority to the Commission, I think we ought to reinforce its legitimacy. Why can´t we Europeans directly elect the President of the Commission? Shouldn´t we be able to simply choose the person we think fit for the highest political office of our Union? Thus, we insure that the democratically elected President of the Commission would always act on behalf of each and every European citizen. I think we should also consider conferring a more important role to the European Parliament, especially controlling the actions of the Commission and the national governments, and having also the chance to come up with its own legislative initiatives and political agenda. The Union should also be capable of presenting to the world a unique and agreed foreign policy, or at least to share the same goals, especially in a particular and urgent situation like the one occurred in Syria this year.

Democratization is important to reconcile citizens with the European institutions, but the creation of a European identity is fundamental to build a stronger and more successful Union. I think every European student has to have the opportunity to spend one school year abroad, either in school or at university. The Erasmus program was a significant improvement in this area, but I think that all young Europeans should also have the chance to actually meet European civil servants, understand how our Union works and get more involved in the life of its institutions. The European youth has to be aware of the advantages and the opportunities our Union provides, and what a better instrument can we have to fulfill this goal than the Erasmus program and other educational projects.

Europe must also find its place in the world. In a world where emerging countries like China, Russia, India or Brazil are becoming more and more important, our Union must be prepared to compete with these giants and maintain its position on the globe. We must have the intelligence to recognize our strengths and our 8 weaknesses and to actually lead this complex, globalised world. But first Europe must resolve its problems and find its essence. A recent TV commercial in Spain stated: “the only statistic that is true is that all statistics can be overcome”. I cannot agree more with this assertion.