The European Union’s foreign policy chief has rejected the suggestion that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” after Marco Rubio said America has no interest in being the “caretakers of the West’s managed decline.”
Kaja Kallas addressed the Munich Security Conference a day after Mr Rubio, the US Secretary of State, spoke in Germany.
Although he struke a less aggressive tone than vice president JD Vance did in lecturing European leaders last year, Mr Rubio reiterated Washington’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its policy priorities.
“President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe”, he told the conference before saying that the US does not want “weak” allies.
In her address on Sunday, Ms Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, appeared to respond and alluded to criticism in the US national security strategy released in December, which said economic stagnation in Europe “is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilisational erasure”.
It suggested Europe is being weakened by its immigration policies, declining birth rates, “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition” and a “loss of national identities and self-confidence.”
“Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilisational erasure,” Ms Kallas said as she hit back.
“In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans,” she added, saying she was told when visiting Canada last year that many people there have an interest in joining the EU.
Mr Rubio suggested the West has been complacent since the conclusion of the Cold War, saying its “end of history” approach that assuming “every nation would now be a liberal democracy” has “cost us dearly”.
He called on European allies to “fix” the status quo.
“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline”, he said. “We do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilisation in human history.
“What we want is a reinvigorated alliance that recognises that what has ailed our societies is not just a set of bad policies but a malaise of hopelessness and complacency.”
Ms Kallas rejected what she called “European-bashing.”
“We are, you know, pushing humanity forward, trying to defend human rights and all this, which is actually bringing also prosperity for people,” she said.
