Dear Elon,
Your comment touches on a real challenge, but the response given by your so-called friends in Europe—sovereigntists and nationalists—is to abandon the idea of a united Europe in favor of the rhetoric of small homelands, “masters” of their own destiny. It would be akin to the fate of the Greek city-states, swept away first by the Persian Empire and later by the Roman Empire.

Today, Europe is certainly a victim of its excessive regulation and the illusion of being able to bury its head in the sand, like ostriches, in the face of major global changes and upheavals.

Yet, a united Europe remains, even today, a unique project in human history: the integration of peoples and states that had massacred each other for centuries, choosing instead to share a market, a parliament, and their future. The difficulties have been immense, and they still are. But one thing we sincere Europeans are convinced of: the nationalism of individual countries is not a solution, because it would mean a return to a past of conflict and fragmentation.

The true path to the future is not less Europe but a better Europe: one that is more united, capable of addressing the great challenges of our time—climate change, technological revolution, global migration, wars, demographic decline, the conquest of space—with an approach that combines innovation, sustainability, and solidarity. Is it possible? We Europeans are the only ones who can achieve and win this challenge. That is our pride.

Where to begin? In my opinion, by electing a President of the European Union. Henry Kissinger once said he didn’t know who to call when he wanted to speak to Europe. Well, it’s time to give our American friends and the rest of the world a number they can dial. So, if you want to help Europe avoid “ending,” don’t fuel the rhetoric of sovereignists, who are little more than paid puppets of Putin, interested in dismantling Europe in exchange for a crust of bread for themselves.

MEGA? Sure, but also Make Europe Finally United.

You yourself are a symbol of how innovation can bring hope and solutions. Don’t let a message of division take hold in a continent that has shown, through its highs and lows, to be a force for progress. Europe is not perfect, but it can be improved. And above all, it’s worth defending and improving. Best regards from someone who believes in Europe and in the Europeans.

Pier Falasca, a European