Trends
Europe learns. A succession of deep crises has interrupted the normal flow of time in the Old Continent. Until ten years ago, Europe seemed to be a collection of peoples all busy pursuing their own interests with total indifference to those of others. Then came the financial crisis, the pandemic, the war. Europe began to respond to the difficulties by retracing its old patterns, but very soon it changed course: and starting with Mario Draghi’s ‘whatever it takes’, it changed gear. During the pandemic, Europe discovered that solidarity is more important than competition. And during the war, the continent expressed a courage that was not previously taken for granted. Now Europe is making commitments for all its peoples, and its peoples are making commitments for the Union. It is a new beginning for a civilization that perpetrated the greatest atrocities in human history, redeemed itself with the longest period of peace, and learned how to face difficulties together. The foundation of this new course lies in the elaboration of a vision of society that should rightfully be built. A vision that is expressed through regulatory innovations and practical actions, but also through new declarations of principle that enshrine Europe as a set of institutions to be listened to in order to think about the future in a better way. In the Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles, Europeans have defined multilingualism as a basic right. This is of the greatest importance because Europe has understood where its greatest strength lies: in a diversity that does not divide.