From Wahlroos, a violent raid on the EU

Economic influencer Björn Wahlroos swat the EU in extremely harsh words at the Nordic Business Forum on Thursday. He says that the entire Union has a place for “serious introspection”.

Wahlroos refers to economic growth, which is known to be significantly weaker in the EU than in the United States, but also highlights the people.

“We Europeans have a problem. We don’t know what and who we are.”

According to Wahlroos, the EU’s biggest problems are bureaucracy and regulation, which he describes as absurd.

A big problem for him is also that the European Union does not attract the most influential people.

“This is a simple fact. The MEP candidates in the European parliamentary elections are the politicians that we want to get rid of. The EU must be made more attractive for a career,” says Wahlroos.

He particularly criticizes Germany, the largest EU and euro country.

“Germany usually makes gigantic mistakes in everything.”

Visio EU:sta

Wahlroos appeared at the Nordic Business Forum before the former President of the European Central Bank and the former Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi. In his speech, he referred to Draghi’s characterization that the EU has three options: paralysis, disintegration or deeper integration.

Wahlroos presents a fourth option.

“It would be a return to the roots, i.e. an EU with a strong commission, a weak parliament and a very carefully defined agenda.”

He says that the EU should not give up one of its important basic principles, the principle of closeness.

According to the principle of subsidiarity, decisions should be kept as close as possible to citizens and it has been a key part of EU legislation since 1992 and the Maastricht Treaty.

“Things that are best handled locally should not be decided in Brussels,” Wahlroos sums up.

According to Wahlroos, the biggest and most essential question for the future is whether the EU is able to change. He emphasizes that if Europe does not make changes on its own initiative, it will be forced to do so.