One of the reform proposals at the end of the last EU mandate, was a multi-speed Europe. I reported on the most explicit initiative https://davelevy.info/wiki/sailing-the-high-seas-reforming-and-enlarging-the-eu/ . Has the time come again to look at this as an answer to the EU’s sclerosis. The challenges are clear, with the federalists or federalist adjacent players looking at capital market integration, a savings and investment union, defence spending, and supply chain security being issues of concern, while the nationalists are concerned about increasing competencies, and are developing ideas for decentralisation. What will happen?
- The Telegraph, with for it, a remarkably unemotional article on the case for and prospects of greater integration. The map of prospects without the UK makes me sad though.
- The moves are further reported by Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/02/11/as-challenges-mount-a-two-speed-europe-emerges-as-a-way-out
- And Politico https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/presenting-europes-two-speed-era/
I did a Gemini query, “is there a proposal within the European Union for a two-speed Europe?” and produce the argument at the end of this article.
My page https://davelevy.info/wiki/eu-reform/ documents the EP’s response to COFOE and probably represents the zenith of the federalist push within the last mandate. While we talk of a single mandate and while the Parliament and Commission are pretty stable, the Council varies in membership with the election cycles of the member states.
In many ways, https://davelevy.info/wiki/sailing-the-high-seas-reforming-and-enlarging-the-eu/ could be seen as the Council’s response to the Parliament’s resolution documented by me at https://davelevy.info/wiki/eu-reform/. They ran out of time, and the Council didn’t want a treaty convention.
I comment and collect links about the legal structures of the EU at Subsidiarity and proportionality
Gemini says,
Yes, as of early 2026, the concept of a “two-speed Europe” has transitioned from a theoretical debate to a concrete political strategy driven by the European Union’s most powerful economies and its top leadership.
The primary motivation is a growing frustration with unanimity rules, which many leaders believe have caused “decision-making inertia” and left the EU unable to compete with the United States and China or respond swiftly to security threats.
Current Proposals and Initiatives (2026)
1. The “E6” Group Initiative
In January 2026, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil invited his counterparts from France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands to form a core group (dubbed the “E6”). This proposal aims to bypass the need for consensus among all 27 member states to fast-track integration in four critical areas:
- Defense Spending: Streamlining joint procurement and military readiness.
- Savings and Investment Union: Integrating capital markets to fund European businesses.
- Euro Strengthening: Enhancing the Euro’s role as an international currency.
- Supply Chain Resilience: Securing critical raw materials.
2. The European Commission’s Deadline
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has explicitly endorsed the two-speed approach. In February 2026, she set a deadline: if a bloc-wide consensus on a “Savings and Investment Union” is not reached by the end of 2026, she will propose moving forward with a “coalition of the willing” using the Enhanced Cooperation mechanism.
3. The February 2026 “Brainstorming” Summit
At an informal retreat in Belgium on February 12, 2026, EU leaders discussed how to implement “differentiated integration.” Key figures, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, have reframed the two-speed model not as a division, but as a “pathway to unity” that allows front-runners to lead while leaving the door open for others to join later.
Key Mechanisms Being Used
Rather than drafting new treaties (which is a slow process), current proposals rely on existing legal tools:
| Mechanism | Description |
| Enhanced Cooperation | Allows at least 9 member states to establish advanced integration in a specific area without the rest of the bloc. |
| PESCO | Specific to defense, allowing a core group to deepen military cooperation. |
| The “28th Regime” | A proposed optional legal framework that businesses can choose to follow to bypass 27 different sets of national regulations. |
The Opposition
The proposal is not without controversy. Smaller and more “fringe” [I’d sat border] member states, such as Lithuania, have criticized the move, fearing it will create “first and second-class” members and erode European solidarity.
Note: While the term “two-speed Europe” is the popular label, officials often use the more technical term “differentiated integration” to make the idea sound less divisive.
…
Two-speed Europe could be ‘pathway to unity,’ European Parliament president Metsola tells Euronews
This video provides an interview with the European Parliament President discussing how a two-speed model is being viewed as a solution to EU paralysis.