“My job takes me to countries in Asia and the Arab world all the time and there’s hardly a European presence there at all,” says Koolhaas. “And you can see how badly it’s needed. But Europe is too turned in on itself.”

Koolhaas is one of a group of 12 influential Europeans who have been invited to take part in the think-tank on the future of the European Union which is expected to come up with a series of proposals on issues from energy, security and migration for the period 2020-2030.

His professional and personal experience in China, the Gulf States and a number of European countries and the US gives Koolhaas a unique view on the world. “If you spend so much time in other countries you develop a different perspective on Europe,” says Koolhaas, whose membership of the think-tank was actively supported by Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

Koolhaas thinks the prime minister may have heard his speech last year on how other continents are gaining ground and what Europe’s reaction should be. “Instead of telling other countries what they should do, we should engage them in dialogue,” Koolhaas said during the speech.

Why does the world need a more influential Europe?

“When I was in China, I accompanied the British historian Mark Leonard during his discussions with Chinese thinkers. The Chinese miss Europe on the world’s political stage. They say that without Europe, it is impossible for China to confront the United States’ domineering stance on issues such as the invasion of Iraq, the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the nuclear conflict with Iran.”

The financial crisis did see Europe in a prominent role?

“Yes, it so happened that France was chairing the European Union at the time. But it also shows how vulnerable Europe is: had a small country been in the chair, things might have worked out differently. This crisis shows we need a European president and foreign minister.”

Shouldn’t Europe become a super power before it can influence other parts of the world?

“Europe is a super power in the sense that it has an enormous cultural influence. And Europe increasingly dictates the rules surrounding international trade. They may be regarded as cumbersome and unnecessary in Europe itself, but African and Asian countries have taken them over nevertheless. They are producing goods along European guidelines. And all this has been achieved without any violence, from small administrative headquarters in Brussels.”

So Europe should loosen its ties with the United States?

“It should become less US-orientated. I am not saying we should turn against the Americans but I think we should also look towards building relationships with Russia, Turkey, the Arab world and China and India, and on an equal basis.

“China built the Bird’s Nest stadium for the Olympics and they chose European architects to design it. An unbelievably wonderful gesture. We aren’t even able to understand that, to appreciate it. The whole world is enthusiastic about it except the European media. We act like we’re superior, put ourselves above others. But those days are long gone.”

Are you saying that if we just worked together, democracy in countries such as China will follow automatically?

“That is a typically European way of looking at it. This is an experiment called ‘globalisation’. If we knew what the outcome was going to be, we would be on a crusade, not conducting an experiment. You can’t say: only democratic countries are ok. And who knows what such a cooperation will bring. We may come up with a new, hybrid system of government.”