German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses the EU about its future

The backstory: The EU has a few complicated situations on its hands. It's been trying to manage a lot of immigrants coming in, with many refugees arriving seeking asylum. And, since certain countries along the coast are easier to get to for migrants, they tend to take in more asylum-seekers than other member countries.

The bloc is also trying to support Ukraine in its war with Russia and pull itself out of an energy crisis. Plus, there are a lot of sustainability reforms on the table, with the EU looking to make a big dent in its carbon emissions and energy sources sooner than later. Since Germany is Europe's biggest economy and it's also really affected by a lot of refugees seeking asylum there, its leadership is calling for action.

More recently: Recently, the EU decided to tackle immigration issues in its asylum and immigration pact, but members haven't agreed on everything. And last month, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the European Parliament, saying it needs to step up to become a global power and, even though the US is an ally, the EU needs to get out of its shadow.

The development: This Tuesday, aka "Europe Day," was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's turn to address the European Parliament, and he had some interesting ideas to put out there. Unlike Macron, Scholz thinks it's unrealistic to position the EU as a global power, and the idea is outdated.  

While Scholz said the US is the EU's strongest ally, he also said it's time to start thinking of the world as multipolar and that equal cooperation needs to be found all over the globe. He's also pushing for reform when it comes to immigration and for the bloc to tie up any unfinished free trade deals before the European Parliament election next year. Plus, he warned that China is becoming more of a rival than a partner, so the EU should work to negotiate deals more quickly and keep fair trade within Europe so that local economies benefit, too. With all that, Scholz also thinks the bloc needs to work to integrate its military and defense, as the world only listens to Europe when it speaks with one voice.

Key comments:

"Those who are nostalgic for the dream of a European world power, those who serve national superpower fantasies, are stuck in the past," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in his speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday.

“There are doubts about the role of the German government as a reliable partner in Europe,” said German MEP Terry Reintke, co-president of the Greens, a green political party in Germany. "The chancellor does nothing and hides behind the coalition parties who’ve wasted the trust of European partners.”