Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered a sobering assessment of the continent's standing on Tuesday, stating that Europe remains far from achieving its long-standing ambition of becoming "the strongest and most science-based continent in the world."

Speaking in Brussels at a European Parliament ceremony honoring the inaugural laureates of the European Order of Merit, Merkel reflected on the ambitious economic and scientific goals set by EU leaders during the Lisbon Summit in 2000. More than two decades later, she noted, the European Union's fundamental promise of prosperity to its citizens is under severe strain and demands urgent, renewed action from current leadership, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Merkel emphasized that robust economic success is the indispensable foundation required to sustain Europe's progressive goals, such as climate protection and biodiversity preservation. She argued that sustainability and fiscal health must progress hand-in-hand to maintain public faith in the EU's value.

Turning to geopolitics, the former chancellor warned that peace and stability on the continent can no longer be taken for granted. She pointed to the war in Ukraine as definitive proof that long-standing security assumptions have been permanently shattered, a fragility further exacerbated by shifting, unpredictable dynamics in United States security policy.

Furthermore, Merkel sounded the alarm on the domestic front, cautioning that modern democratic systems are facing unprecedented internal pressures. She highlighted how social media platforms allow misinformation to propagate rapidly, distorting healthy public discourse. Merkel explicitly cited the growing, unchecked influence of artificial intelligence as a force intensifying these vulnerabilities, issuing a firm call for aggressive, continuous regulation of both AI and social media networks to safeguard democratic processes and protect the integrity of information across the European Union.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada