Populism, transatlantic tensions, eurozone reform, Brexit: the new European Commission faces multiple, perhaps fatal, challenges, and plenty of opportunity. A blockbuster FT Weekend panel at Hay Festival Segovia on Saturday exchanged their views.
Chaired by FT literary editor Frederick Studemann, the panel featured the FT's deputy editor Roula Khalaf and Madrid correspondent Daniel Dombey alongside Anna Bosh, international section journalist for TVE, and economist Luis Garicano.
"In industry, in ideas, in economics, Europe is squeezed between the US and China… So, how does Europe position itself? It’s something Brussels hasn’t thought enough about, until now," began Khalaf.
"We should talk more about Europe in places like Spain, where we don’t think exiting would be a risk. It is always risk," said Bosh. "We need to remind ourselves that Brussels dictates nothing that is not the will of the individual governments.
"Europe was an idea. The idea of a better life, of democracy, of trains being on time... Sometimes national governments, even if they are pro-Europe, are guilty of praising themselves and blaming Brussels. We need politicians and the media to be coherent in the fact that our successes and failures are both national and European."
As for Brexit?
"It will never be over," argued Dombey. "In the 40 years we were members of the club, we couldn’t work out our position to it. How long will it take us to work out what we want when we’re out of it?
"British policy for over 600 years has been to avoid having a united Europe against it. Look where we are now... Ultimately, Brexit is also a vaccine for Europe," concluded Dombey. "Dexit was a huge deal in Denmark 4 years ago. Not one party had it on their agenda at the recent elections."
Find our more and subscribe to the FT here and explore the rest of the Hay Festival Segovia programme here.