How the EU can lead the rest of the West

[MILAN] At the World Economic Forum’s 2026 meeting in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described a “rupture” in the world order and called on middle powers to “act together”.

Whereas great powers can afford (for now) to “go it alone” in this new Hobbesian world, he warned, middle powers must come to the table or risk being “on the menu.” But while some might see the EU as a natural partner for such efforts, it appears to view itself as something more.

Rather than rallying partners from around the world, the EU has spent recent months asserting its economic might, which is formidable: though the European economy is somewhat smaller than those of the US and China, it is several times larger than those of Japan, the UK and India.