Europe does not seem to hold good cards: a continent that long held the conviction there would never be another war on its territory, as a result is now the world’s most demilitarised and pacifist region, and risks losing its strongest ally just when acute military threats return (Photo: Author)

Column

This challenge is so huge Europe's leaders know they can't tackle it individually

EU & the World

Ukraine

Opinion

by Caroline de Gruyter, Brussels,

What is modern Europe? Perhaps the great French couturier Yves Saint-Laurent summed up its essence already three decades ago.

He was Frencher than French, and loved to be. He once said the only novel he ever read was Proust’s À la Recherche du Temps perdu

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EU & the World Ukraine Opinion Column

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC. She also writes columns for Foreign Policy and De Standaard. This piece is adapted from a recent column in De Standaard.