In the face of the Trumpian onslaught, Europe urgently needs to regain its self-confidence and propose a different development model to its citizens and the world. To achieve this, it must start by overcoming the permanent self-denigration that too often stands in for public debate on our continent. According to the doxa that prevails in many leadership circles, Europe is living beyond its means and needs to tighten its belt. The latest version of this rhetoric states that social spending should be cut in order to concentrate on the only priority that counts: The race with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on military spending.
The problem is that everything about this diagnosis is wrong. In economic terms, the reality is that Europe is perfectly capable – if that proves useful – of pursuing several objectives at the same time. In particular, Europe has been…
