Europe faces economic and social challenges amid rising tensions and instability

US President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy (NSS) has been released, outlining his vision for Europe’s future. According to the NSS, Europe will become “unrecognisable in 20 years” due to perceived “civilisational erasure”. The strategy also emphasizes the importance of European values and democracy.

The NSS highlights several areas of concern for Europe, including its relationship with Russia and its economic performance. The continent’s share of global gross domestic product has declined from 25% in 1990 to 14% today. The strategy notes that regulations and demographic decline are contributing factors, but also suggests that Europe’s failure to invest in all its people is a deeper issue.

The NSS mentions the challenges faced by Roma communities across Europe, who face structural barriers and discrimination that prevent them from accessing education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities. According to surveys, Roma individuals have high success rates when running businesses that receive support, but their unemployment rates are currently 25 percentage points above those of the majority population.

The strategy also warns of “subversion of democratic processes” in Europe, although it does not specifically mention minorities. The European Parliament has a proportionally small number of seats allocated to Roma communities, with estimates suggesting they should hold over 400 seats.

In contrast, other countries such as Malta and Luxembourg have more seats allocated to their minority populations. The NSS emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues in order to restore Europe’s “former greatness”.

Source: Al Jazeera