Europe, the Zillertal valley of the world?

Donald Trump and the European “leaders” at the NATO summit, 25.06.2025 © dpa

"We have to learn to think long-term again as Europe. If we don't do that, then we will very quickly find ourselves in a situation where we become the amusement park of the Chinese. In other words, the Zillertal of the world. Then we'll all be wearing traditional costumes and singing funny songs."

This is how the digital newspaper “The Pioneer” quoted China expert Frank Sieren from an interview with Chelsea Spieker on June 24, 2025.

Déjà vu, I heard that from someone else 15 years ago. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a similar statement during a speech to the European Parliament on May 4, 2010 (1): “For me, the United States is the shopping mall of the world, China is the factory of the world, India is the office of the world, Latin America is the backyard of the world and Europe is the museum of the world.”

Apparently, we are dealing with a long-term trend of European decline. “Someone should do something about this”, I have often heard when it comes to corporate grievances. Most of the time, nobody did anything. And at German federal level?

We Germans did indeed elect this someone. His name is Friedrich Merz. And does he do anything? Well, that depends on how you look at it. In any case, he has achieved his goal in life. He meets with the greats of his world, shows up at all important events and is clearly happy about it. This can be clearly seen in a photo of the last NATO summit on June 25, 2025, in which a servile, over-friendly Mark Rutte amuses an apparently good-humoured Donald Trump with a little joke. Our Friederich is standing right behind him and looks as happy as a schoolboy.

Oh, he doesn't really have to do anything else - just hastily implement the more or less clear instructions from the other side of the Atlantic and otherwise let himself be carried along by the general current. Then no one can be a danger to him and he can enjoy the four years entrusted to him. It is even possible that the lethargic electorate will grant him another four years at the top.

However, the current in which we are drifting does not lead to a sovereign and self-confident Europe that is trusted, respected and, above all, taken seriously in the world. It is driving us towards rearmament, militarization and authoritarian leadership while remaining dependent on our big brother on the other side of the Atlantic.

Much is currently reminiscent of the heated pre-war atmosphere right before the outbreak of the First World War. Back then too, one politician, public official or citizen after another fell and joined the “movement”.

Eugène Ionesco dealt with this very impressively in his play “The Rhinoceroses (Rhinocéros, 1959)”. It is a central work of absurdist theatre and a powerful allegory of conformism, mass movements and the loss of individual responsibility.

In it, a strange epidemic begins in a French provincial town: people are gradually turning into rhinos. What initially appears to be a curiosity quickly develops into a mass phenomenon. The protagonist Behringer (Bérenger in the original), an inconspicuous and world-weary employee, is the only one to be spared from this “rhinoceritis”. While friends, colleagues and even his lover Daisy give in to the transformation, Behringer struggles with the temptation to conform, but ultimately decides to remain human - despite the loneliness and despair this entails.

Social loneliness and political despair. What can help?

It already helps to get together with those who are in a similar situation and are looking for a way out. If there are many of them at some point, they will also be in a position to make a difference.

This group exists. They are the “Europeans for the Planet”.

And you can become a member here.

1) Lula da Silva, L. I. (2010, May 4). Speech to the European Parliament. Brussels, Belgium.