Europe does not have a leadership problem. It has a construction problem.
Ursula von der Leyen is not the problem. The system that produced her is the problem. Appointed, not elected. Accountable to bodies that no one can name. A face without a mandate.
This is not a communication problem. It is written into the treaties.
Who to Call
Henry Kissinger asked it fifty years ago: what number do I dial when I want to call Europe?
The question remains unanswered today. Putin does not know. Xi does not know. Washington does not know — and exploits the ambiguity.
A continent of 450 million people, home to the world’s largest single market, whispers at the table of great powers. Not because it has nothing to say. But because no one knows whose voice counts.
That is the real weakness. Not the size. Not the languages. The missing face.
The Model
Seven. A government of seven, elected for four years. From among them comes the president — rotating, for one year at a time.
Not from outside. Not as a surprise candidate. But someone who knows the system, who has already earned trust, who knows the other six.
One speaks outward. Military. Foreign policy. One voice. One mandate. The clock ticks — one year, then the next takes over.
That is not weak. That is precise.
Seven has its own logic: a clear majority is always possible. Small enough for collegiality. Large enough for diversity. And over four years, almost everyone gets a turn. Europe would have four different faces toward the outside world — from different countries, different traditions. Unity with rotation.
Almost Roman-republican.
Parliament as Buffer
Parties and parliament do not disappear. They have their place — and it is an important one.
Domestic policy. Legislation. Budget. Oversight of the Council of Seven. They can remove it. They can question it. They are the living contradiction that allows the system to breathe.
But war and peace, alliances and sanctions — one person decides that. With a mandate. Under time pressure. With consequences.
That is not a contradiction to democracy. That is democracy that works.
The Citizen Last — and First
On the big questions, the people vote. New members. Treaty changes. Fundamental rights questions. Not as an exception. As the norm.
Whoever has voted themselves can no longer experience the outcome as something foreign. That is the only path to genuine legitimacy. Not communication campaigns. Not explainer videos. Real decision.
That is more demanding. More explanation. More patience.
And in the end: more Europe.
The Objections
Too complex. Too idealistic. Who is supposed to implement it?
These are engineering problems. Solvable — if the political will is there. The questions of vote weighting, delineation of competences, term limits are real. They are not unsolvable.
The Swiss model has existed since 1848. Seven Federal Councillors, a rotating president, direct democracy at its core. It works. Not because the Swiss are special people. But because the construction is sound.
Europe could build the same thing. Larger. With real teeth.
The Difference
Europe 1.0 brought peace. That is no small thing. That is the greatest thing.
But peace alone is no longer sufficient as an argument. The generation that still knew the war is dying. The next needs a different reason.
Europe 2.0 gives them one: democracy that you feel. Leadership that you see. Decisions that you make.
Not waiting until the next shock comes.
Thinking ahead.
By René Jochum and Claude (Anthropic). License: CC-BY-4.0.