Abstract
This chapter examines the European Union’s governance dysfunction within the contemporary “Trumpian” political environment characterised by anti-establishment sentiment and institutional distrust. The analysis demonstrates how this context particularly disadvantages the EU’s technocratic, multilevel governance structure. Drawing on Macron’s Sorbonne speeches, the paper identifies core challenges: security, economic competitiveness, and defence capabilities. The institutional analysis reveals significant structural limitations. The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) remains constrained by unanimity requirements preventing rapid responses. Internal governance faces competing forces of “informal internationalisation” and “unilateral renationalisation.” The German and Polish constitutional court’s rejection of EU law primacy represent direct threats to foundational integration principles. The German Constitutional Court’s “identity review” doctrine constrains EU development by reserving critical policy areas to national control. Contemporary crisis responses demonstrate both adaptive capacity and structural limitations. Ukraine-related cooperation advanced significantly, yet decision-making remains dependent on member state consensus rather than integrated institutional capacity. The paper concludes that the EU faces a fundamental governance dilemma: member states individually lack capacity to address global challenges, while collective action remains constrained by institutional frameworks designed for different circumstances. Drawing parallels to ancient Greece after Rome’s rise, the analysis warns that without addressing these structural contradictions, the EU risks global relegation while member states face strategic marginalisation.