“Europe is the last great bastion of freedom capable of leading a reaction to advancing autocracies.”
That was the message from Carlo Calenda, leader of ALDE Party member Azione, speaking in Brussels this week at the launch of his new book Defending Freedom.
Hosted by Elisabetta Gualmini MEP, the event brought together liberal and pro-European voices around a central argument running through the book: that Europe is no longer facing a theoretical challenge, but an existential one.
Calenda argues that the geopolitical balance has shifted decisively, shaped by the growing assertiveness of Russia and China and the return of Donald Trump to the centre of global political discourse. He warns that Europe can no longer afford to hesitate.
Instead, he calls for a far more integrated European Union, including the development of a common defence structure and deeper political union, which he frames as the foundation of a future “United States of Europe”.
At the core of his argument is a warning about fragmentation. Calenda says that Europe’s dependence on external powers, combined with internal political weakness, leaves it exposed at a moment when global competition is intensifying.
The book sets out a stark critique of what he sees as Europe’s current trajectory, warning that complacency among political elites risks weakening the continent’s ability to defend its own model of freedom and governance.
For Calenda, a stronger and more unified Europe is not a long-term aspiration, but an immediate strategic necessity. The discussion centred on how far Europe is willing to go to turn that vision into reality, and whether the political conditions exist to deliver it.