While Europe has clearly made strides since Kissinger’s provocative jibe, many of the underlying challenges remain. One currency, but 27 underlying markets across a whole swathe of industries and sectors – with fragmented infrastructure, regulation and legal structures.

Of all the great minds and analysts who have grappled with Europe’s future over the years, the recent reports by two intellectual giants stand out for their insight, influence and completeness. One is former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s The Future of European Competitiveness, compiled for the European Commission in September 2024. The other is former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s Much More Than a Market.

I was therefore honored recently to sit down with Professor Letta in Milan. Highlights of that conversation are presented here as an exclusive interview split it into two parts for ease of consumption. We cover everything from Brexit, his desire for a unified dialing code, and much more. His overriding message is for practical and pragmatic simplification behind any unification agenda.

You can now read the full whitepaper at the link below