By Ewald König

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Thanks to the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, the plastic lid no longer ends up somewhere, but in recycling. But it's not gratitude for this sustainable measure that makes me think of the EU when I unscrew the lid. Rather, it is anger at the EU's priorities. A prioritization that annoys even the most committed pro-Europeans.

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The world around the EU has gone off the rails. And even within the Union, many things are no longer true. We allow Europe to become distorted in its external relations and to crumble in its internal relations. But the plastic lids stay on.

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We have the Common Foreign and Security Policy (GASP) on paper, but too little in reality. Nor do we — in the tenth year since the wave of refugees in 2015 — have we had no success in getting illegal migration under control. But the plastic lids stay on.

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Who hears the European voice among the global players? Who takes us seriously enough? What are the expectations of the global network of EU embassies, the European External Action Service (EAD), and where is the track record that justifies the gigantic effort?

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Why do heads of government or foreign ministers of the EU member states continue to travel around the world on a national mission and not within the European framework? What should geopolitical players think of the fact that visitors from the Old Continent even come with different messages? But the plastic lids stay on.

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The major crises and disruptive events of recent years have always been regarded as a wake-up call for Europe. But Brussels seems to have become accustomed to recurring wake-up calls. When it comes to vacation and career planning and in absences for far too long as a result of European elections and the formation of the Commission, much is missing out on the European Union.

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Questionable tendencies in the rule of law of some EU member states also provide reason for nervousness and no longer justify being instructive and know-it-all towards other countries, demanding reforms from them — keyword supply chain law, with which the EU provides the domestic economy with reporting requirements and harasses the economy in developing and emerging countries.

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Austria is the latest example of shifting standards. The right winger Herbert Kickl from the right-wing populist FPÖ is tasked with forming a government and will probably become federal or “people's chancellor” if he can agree on a coalition with the ÖVP. Like many a counterpart, Kickl will celebrate Euroscepticism. The internal cohesion of the Union is being eroded. But setting priorities ensures that the plastic lids stay on.

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