Romano Prodi has accused Italy and its European allies of acting "like servants" toward the United States while remaining paralyzed in the face of China's strategic influence, remarks that have reignited debate over the continent's capacity to act autonomously on the global stage. Speaking at the Festival dell'Economia in Trento, the former Italian prime minister and European Commission president issued a blunt assessment: the absence of a unified European foreign policy has left the bloc vulnerable, reactive, and unable to defend its own interests.
Why This Matters
• Diplomatic dependency: Prodi's critique comes as Italy's government attempts to balance close ties with Washington against mounting pressure from Brussels to adopt a more independent European stance.
• German military shift: Germany's defense budget has surged to €108B in 2026—more than double France's historical spending—upending the Franco-German security balance that shaped European policy for decades.
• China-Russia nexus: The relationship between Beijing and Moscow complicates Europe's diplomatic calculus, with China becoming an economic lifeline for Russia following international sanctions.
Europe's Identity Crisis on Display
Prodi delivered his remarks during an interview with journalist Fabio Tamburini at the 21st edition of the Trento economics festival, a gathering convened between May 20 and 24 to discuss "Dal mercato ai nuovi poteri. Le speranze dei giovani"—"From the Market to New Powers: The Hopes of the Young." His comments reflect broader anxieties within Italy's political and intellectual elite about the country's diminished role as a mediator and coalition-builder within the European Union.
The 85-year-old economist and statesman argued that the bloc's reliance on Washington for security guarantees has bred a culture of deference that extends far beyond defense. "We behave like servants in front of Trump and don't know how to behave in front of the Chinese," Prodi said, adding that Europe should develop a "unified capacity for intervention" if it hopes to regain strategic relevance.
His critique extended to the China-Russia relationship. Prodi characterized it as asymmetrical, with Beijing positioned as the dominant partner. "China does not want to depend on Russia; it wants Russia to depend on China," he explained, noting China's significant economic advantage over Russia and its strategic leverage in the relationship.
Germany's Military Leap Upends European Balance
Prodi warned that Germany's decision to dramatically expand its defense spending represents a seismic shift in the architecture of European power—one that has not been adequately debated or understood. Berlin's 2026 defense budget reached €108.2B, drawn from both ordinary allocations and a special infrastructure fund. This represents a historic pivot in Germany's defense posture and military capability.
"Germany has never spent anything on defense, and in one day, in a single government transition, it decided to allocate a budget double that of France," Prodi observed. "This changes the European structure, and we are thinking too little about it."
He pointed to the collapse of the long-standing Franco-German partnership, which historically served as the engine of European integration. "There has always been a tacit agreement between France and Germany" to share leadership, Prodi said. "Suddenly Germany proposes itself as the military leader. Do we really think of a Europe where one commands and the other pays? We are not understanding the rules necessary to stay together."
The former premier added that France and Germany are now "friends but no longer brothers," a shift that leaves Italy without the traditional role it once played as "the glue" between competing power centers. "It is the Italian function that is missing—that of the binder," he said.
What This Means for Italians
For Italians, Prodi's warnings carry immediate implications. The government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has cultivated a relationship with Washington, a strategy that has drawn criticism from partners in Brussels and created friction within the EU.
Prodi suggested that Italy is caught in a strategic no man's land: too aligned with Washington to command trust in Brussels, yet not influential enough in Washington to shape U.S. policy. "Now we are weak," Prodi said. "We first sided with Trump and now we play a bit of a game, but we do not say we have a future in Europe."
His reference to Roberto Vannacci, a military figure who has entered politics with nationalist rhetoric, underscores concerns about Italy's drift toward identity-driven politics that Prodi argues undermines diplomacy. "Identity triumphs over everything but kills diplomacy and brings us back to wars of religion," he said, drawing parallels between nationalist movements globally. "American society is not what it once was. It has radicalized like all world politics. Now identity becomes the yardstick by which democratic countries orient themselves."
A Call for European Reformism
Prodi's broader message centered on the need for a "European reformism" that addresses widening inequality and restores faith in social mobility. He contrasted the postwar decades in Italy, during which "we had two generations in which social justice increased, albeit slowly," with more recent trends.
"If reformism does not set the rules on the world of the future—and I am not anti-market—we cannot build societies in which those with a salary cannot support their families," Prodi argued. "Reformism must do something for social justice."
His remarks at Trento echo a growing sentiment among Italy's center-left intellectuals that the country—and the continent—lacks the political vision and institutional cohesion to navigate an era of great-power competition. Whether Europe can develop that vision, or whether it will continue to oscillate between different strategic orientations, remains an open question—one that Prodi's intervention was designed to sharpen.
