Youth-driven online surge reimagines supercharged European Union

A futuristic EU soldier stands guard, laser blaster at the ready, while European fighter jets soar over thumping Eurodance beats. On social media, imaginary maps depict a vastly enlarged EU, stretching from Greenland to the Caucasus.

As an article by Politico puts it, this is the world of pro-Europe online propaganda, where the EU is no longer a fractious club of 27 countries but a pan-European superpower on par with China or the United States.

Over the past two years, such content has flooded X, TikTok, and Instagram, generating billions of views as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and controversial US-EU trade deals have fueled anxiety across Europe. The mainstays include Soviet-style posters featuring the EU’s stars emblem, soaring video montages of European monuments, and memes contrasting the EU’s strengths — from cultural heritage to work-life balance — with Donald Trump’s America.

Scrolling through these posts, it may seem like “AI slopaganda,” yet the people behind these accounts are real, under 35, and politically diverse. Some describe themselves as “Eurofed” or pan-European imperialists, emphasising a European civilisation to defend rather than any current political setup.

“People are looking to escape powerlessness… to regain action and sovereignty and act on things,” Christelle Savall, former president of the Young European Federalists Association, told Politico.

This online movement contrasts with Europe’s decades-long focus on far-right ascendance. The new wave of youthful EU enthusiasm mirrors early MAGA-style online organising: polls show support for deeper European integration is at an all-time high, with 69 percent of Germans favouring an EU army, according to surveys in 2025. Parties such as Volt Europa, a centrist federalist group founded in 2017, have grown steadily, even gaining a foothold in the European Parliament.

Joseph de Weck, a foreign policy analyst, notes that Europe’s far-right is no longer anti-EU but critical of certain Brussels policies.

“No one is putting into question the existence of the EU anymore, but they fundamentally disagree [on] what they should do,” he said.

The vision of a United States of Europe isn’t new. Victor Hugo imagined it in 1849, and John F. Kennedy called for a “political federation of Europe” in 1963. Yet EU leaders have resisted steps toward a true federation, wary of nationalism and political fragmentation. Even pro-European figures like Macron and Mario Draghi now advocate “pragmatic federalism” rather than bold leaps toward integration.

Young Europeans, however, want more ambitious reforms.

“A direct election of the commission president… is absolutely necessary. As long as that doesn’t happen, the EU will not get more trust,” said the European Challenges account holder.

Membership in federalist groups such as Ave Europa and Savall’s Young Federalists has surged in 2024–25, fueled in part by US-EU trade disputes and Trumpist attacks on Europe.

Not all federalists share the same vision: some favour centralising power in Brussels, while far-right users envision a culturally homogenous European empire. Yet their frame of reference is Europe, not domestic politics. De Weck argues this marks a profound shift: unlike in 2016, when Brexit and euroskepticism dominated headlines, young Europeans today are overwhelmingly pro-EU, even as populists remain in office.

Ave Europa plans to run candidates in upcoming EU elections, while Volt Europa maintains 30 national chapters. Transforming online enthusiasm into tangible political change may hinge on reforms allowing EU-wide transnational campaigns.

The United States of Europe may still be decades away, but its online cheerleaders are determined to push that horizon closer — one “EU soldier” meme at a time.

By Sabina Mammadli