Every Nation for Itself

This is not just a 'thank you' post.

But first, yes:

28,874 personal thank you's for supporting me.

And 253,344 thank you's for supporting our incredible DP - Demokratesch Partei team.

To have earned your trust, your support, your faith, in my, and our team's ability to deliver for you, that requires a huge, and sincere, thank you.

My projections for Luxembourg and Europe were unfortunately accurate, and yet on an emotional level, we always hope to do better.

One always hopes to do better than their own data indicates. Even if, again, I have to thank you, for giving me almost double the personal support I expected in my first election, especially one that I fought without any press, or media coverage -- entirely with you, entirely grassroots. But this is not about any one person, or even any one country. Because these were European elections, about the future of our Union.

So, let's make it clear:

The extremes did not win these elections, but many of us around Europe lost them. By failing (over the years, not just in this campaign) to convince our fellow citizens, that we can do better. And we must listen very clearly to this democratic protest.

The biggest loser of these Elections is the European Union.

'Divide et impera': we are being divided, and the fact that many of us seem to ignore a carefully curated plan being actioned, is incredibly worrying.

Those who seek to divide us have infiltrated our society, our media, our industries, our public discourse, and our politics.

And the trend is clear, our Union is polarised, both in terms of political direction and in terms of supranational unity.

Those of us who are responsible, moderate, politicians must be willing to take responsibility for this loss of confidence in our Union.

Those of us who have opened a history book more than twice in our lives, must be willing to continue working, just as passionately, just as determined, to ensure history does not repeat itself.

We must be willing to continue doing everything we can, to ensure Europe delivers for its citizens.

Because we have got to take responsibility for the results all over Europe.

Even if my generation is only just entering politics, we must be willing to take responsibility for the previous generations too. Because that's what leaders do.

European citizens are tired of overregulation. European citizens are fed-up with a European Union unable to work successfully together on border control. European citizens are frustrated, that we keep asking more of them, than we are able to offer them. European citizens are tired of handouts, when the majority of them work incredibly hard for their dues. European citizens want to be empowered to succeed.

In the process of this protest, in the process of this polarisation, we are having our Trump moment. Mirroring what is happening in the United States, as I told Christelle BRUCKER yesterday. The big difference however is this: Trump loves Trump. And in Europe we don't actually elect a single Trump. We elect multiple different Trumps, who each only love themselves, and their nations. A Europe of nations, working in their own self-interest, in a G-Zero world (yes, I've stolen the title from Ian Bremmer's 2012 book) will not deliver for any European citizen, regardless of how industrious, capable or ambitious the individual nation may be.

Our countries, may have bright histories, but only together, do we pull enough weight in the world today (and even together, we've been reducing our weight enormously over the years - see image below). The United States are innovating, and we are simply falling behind, as China rises at an incredible pace.

Only a strong, empowered, and purpose-led European Union can deliver for European citizens. Whether Spanish, French, Greek or Luxembourgish. Whether Romanian, Portuguese, German or Finnish.

So bottom line, here's what I am going to do.

• I will continue to be incredibly active in my country's politics, at every level, micro-local, local, national and international.
• I will continue investing my time and energy for you, within the DP - Democratic Party / Demokratesch Partei to ensure we can conserve our Union and ensure we collectively succeed in the new global order.
• I will continue attempting to make our politics more accessible, and more open to both criticism and participation.
• I will continue encouraging, with my incredible colleague Jana Degrott (who by the way, not only had an incredible score, but also proved to be one of our country's most committed politicians) more people to get involved.
• I will continue speaking about AI, Defence and Cybersecurity (including Misinformation and Foreign Influence).
• I will continue speaking about Europe's competitiveness, our economy, our industries.
• I will continue to ask for increased availability of information across our media in Luxembourg.

And you may have guessed it:

I will continue asking more of you, to choose to take responsibility and REGISTER TO VOTE.

I want to thank all of you again for your support,

Thank Charles Goerens , Amela Skenderovic , Nancy Braun , Jana Degrott , Gusty Graas and the entire team, every section, every MP, every member, every volunteer, for their support, and engagement into our campaign, to strengthen Europe.

I want to also thank you for reading,

I believe in Europe.

If every nation in our Union plays for itself, we will all lose in the new state of the world.

If we can continue to play together, with real, purposeful leadership, then we can succeed.

Thank you for everything,

This was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I look forward to doing it again for you, for our city, our country, our Union, and yes, the collective success of our world.

Kind regards,

Christos FLOROS