# Opinion: Former Ambassador Gordon Sondland Says Europe's Riots Reflect Regulation and Rigid Labor Rules, Not a Need for Revolt

Trump's former EU ambassador argues Europe's welfare model is straining under heavy regulation, thin capital markets and a long reliance on the U.S. security umbrella. He calls for a regulatory reset. It is one writer's case.

- Section: [Opinion](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/opinion/)
- Published: 2026-10-26
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/opinion-gordon-sondland-france-burning-europe-broke-revolution-it-needs-isnt-violent-fox-news/

Gordon Sondland, a former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, writes in a Fox News opinion piece that the protests across Europe point to a deeper economic problem, and that the fix is reform, not riots.

The diagnosis. He says demonstrators from Paris to Lisbon are angry over living costs, stagnant wages, housing and weak public services. In France, he notes, protests have turned into burning barricades and looting, though most protesters are peaceful. His view is that too many European economies protect old arrangements instead of building new ones, held back by "excessive regulation, rigid labor structures, fragmented capital markets, and slow decision-making."

What he heard in office. Sondland says executives running U.S. arms of big European companies, especially in Silicon Valley, told him they "simply cannot innovate in Europe the way they can in the United States."

The defense angle. He argues that decades of American protection let European governments spend more on pensions, health care and benefits. He asks whether those safety nets would look the same had Europe spent 4 or 5 percent of GDP on defense, and says that "American military power did not create Europe's welfare state, but it helped make that welfare state easier to afford." Now, he says, NATO allies face higher defense commitments just as growth is weak.

His prescription. A "regulatory reset," more integrated capital markets, flexible labor rules, faster permitting and affordable energy. He points to Estonia's digital government, Denmark's labor flexibility, Ireland's tech investment and Poland's industry as models. He closes by saying America has its own problems but a strong capacity for reinvention.

Note for readers: this is an opinion column. Sondland's account of what European executives told him and his claims about the effect of U.S. security spending are his own, and the piece offers no figures for them.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News (opinion by Gordon Sondland)](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gordon-sondland-france-burning-europes-broke-revolution-really-needs-isnt-violent)