A RED letter day is one of special significance, with the phrase originating from ancient Rome’s practice of marking major occasions in red on calendars. Some two millennia later, the European Union faces such a day on Apr 18, as former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta formally presents a potentially landmark report on the future of the single market.

While the topic is intrinsically economic in origin, geopolitics also drives this sweeping set of recommendations. Change is needed, wrote Letta, as the EU faces a vastly changed international political context, even where its longstanding allies are concerned.

Referring to the possibility of Donald Trump being elected again as US president, Letta warned in a recent interview with the Financial Times that “Trump Two will be different from Trump One”.