© Adobe StockEuropean Union flag
Considering the recent development of the European Union, it seems appropriate to look at a meme that has been going around for some time, namely,
"EUSSR." The implication is, of course, that the EU is starting to resemble the Soviet Union. Though this might sound like a bad joke on the face of it, there are in fact many common points between the European Union and the Soviet Union, and the EU planned direction — such as the
Letta plan and the
Draghi plan —
will further increase the similarities.The Soviet Roots of European IntegrationIn early 2025,
US Vice President J.D. Vance warned Europeans of "old, entrenched interests" hiding behind ugly, Soviet-era words like "misinformation" and "disinformation." Though this is clearly a case of the pot calling the kettle black, there is undoubtedly some
truth to this, as the
EU has been turning the screws ever tighter on freedom of speech (e.g., via the
Digital Services Act and most recently with the
probable ban of social networks for children).
Then, a few months later, while visiting Moldova,
President Macron stressed that "the EU is in no way the Soviet Union." This comment didn't come out of nowhere:
such a remarkable and unnecessary denial by the French president is full of meaning, at a time when the "EUSSR" meme is becoming more and more popular. In fact, a comparison between the EU and the USSR is not unwarranted. True, the European Union is far wealthier and more capitalistic than the Soviet Union ever was. But politically,
the parallels exist, which is why the acronym EUSSR is now so often being thrown around to describe the inefficient, corrupt, and centralized EU administration.
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