The truth is, Europe today isn’t truly independent. We rely heavily on imports for energy, rare earths, critical minerals, semiconductors, advanced weapons, pharmaceuticals, and even parts of our transport and digital infrastructure. In many strategic areas, we depend on the U.S. , China, and other global suppliers.
For now, the areas where Europe has real strength are limited: we can claim relative independence in conventional manufacturing, some industrial machinery, aerospace components, and certain high-end engineering sectors. But in a modern, high-tech, interconnected world, those strengths alone are not enough to secure true strategic independence.
We are still in the middle of the road: a patchwork of agreements, EU regulations, and bilateral deals that offer partial security but remain fragile. In today’s era, where mistakes are not really allowed, Europe keeps making them and many of the decisions and oversights accumulated over the years cannot be reversed. The result is a continent that is only partially sovereign, exposed to external pressures, and far from being able to defend its critical interests fully.