The European Union’s foreign policy chief has rejected suggestions that Europe is facing the “erasure of civilization”, after Marco Rubio said America has no interest in being the “guardians of the West’s controlled decline”.
Kaja Kallas addressed the Munich Security Conference a day after Rubio, the US Secretary of State, spoke in Germany.
Although he struck a less aggressive tone than Vice President JD Vance did last year when he lectured European leaders, Rubio reiterated Washington’s intention to reform the transatlantic alliance and shift its policy priorities.
“President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe,” he told the conference, before saying the US does not want “weak” allies.
In her speech on Sunday, Ms Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, appeared to respond and allude to criticism of the US National Security Strategy released in December, which said economic stagnation in Europe “is being overshadowed by the real and grim prospect of the eradication of civilization”.
It suggested that Europe is being weakened by its immigration policies, falling birth rates, “censorship of freedom of expression and suppression of political opposition” and a “loss of national identity and self-confidence.”
“Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing the erasure of civilization,” Kallas said as she hit back.
“In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans,” she added, saying during her visit to Canada last year that many people there are interested in joining the EU.
Mr. Rubio suggested that the West has been complacent since the end of the Cold War, saying that its “end of history” approach, which assumed that “every nation would now be a liberal democracy,” “has cost us a lot.”
He called on European allies to ‘fix’ the status quo.
“We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly guardians of the controlled decline of the West,” he said. “We do not seek to part, but to rekindle an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history.
“What we want is a revitalized alliance that recognizes that what has damaged our societies is not just a series of bad policies, but a malaise of hopelessness and complacency.”
Ms Kallas rejected what she called ‘European bashing’.
“We’re pushing humanity forward, trying to defend human rights and all that, which actually also brings prosperity to the people,” she said.
“So that’s why it’s very difficult for me to believe these allegations.”
In a wide-ranging speech, Rubio said an end to the transatlantic era “is neither our goal nor our desire,” adding that “our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always remain a child of Europe.”
But he made it clear that the Trump administration is staying the course on issues such as migration, trade and climate.
Mr. Rubio said: “In our pursuit of a world without borders, we have opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture and the future of our people.
“We made these mistakes together, and now together we owe it to our people to face these facts and move forward, to rebuild.”
European officials addressing the meeting made clear that they in turn will stand by their values, including their approach to freedom of expression, climate change and free trade.
Sir Keir Starmer said on Saturday that Europe must defend “the vibrant, free and diverse societies we represent”, and show that people who look different can live together peacefully, and that this does not contradict the tenor of our times.
“Rather, it’s what makes us strong,” he said.
Ms. Kallas said Rubio’s speech sent an important message that America and Europe are and will remain intertwined.
“It is also clear that we do not agree on all issues and will continue to do so, but I think we can work from there,” she said.
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