The Letta report on the single market should spur a renewal of supranationalism in the European Union.
Ukraine and Europe: speaking truth to ourselves
The war in Ukraine has two major implications for Europe and Europeans. Unfortunately, they are contradictory.
Fiscal regimes and equality among states
Amid talk of a ‘Hamiltonian moment’, the Next Generation EU recovery fund recalls a later US Treasury secretary as a fiscal union emerges.
The future of Europe is being decided now
Given the ravages of the coronavirus crisis, the future of Europe cannot be one of permanent division between its northern and southern states.
Juncker: The Triumph Of Conventional Wisdom
Finally, the European Commission has made itself heard. The speech by President Jean-Claude Juncker on the State of the Union elevated the tone of the European debate, raising issues which quite a few people had already swept under the carpet. For them (national political leaders and EU officials) the perfect storm has now passed. Since […]
After The Rome Declaration: A Union – Not A State
As was predictable, the Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017 (for the sixtieth anniversary of the Rome Treaties) ended up in an ambiguous compromise. Even Merkel’s wishes to introduce the principle of a multi-speed Europe into the Declaration was scaled down. The Declaration recites: “We will act together, at different paces and intensity where necessary, […]
The European Commission: The Celebration Of Confusion
The European Commission’s White Book on the future of Europe provides a modest and confused contribution to the discussion which should lead to the Statement of Rome on 25 March. Modest because there is no serious reflection on the causes of the European crisis, a crisis which has even led to the secession of an […]
Why We Should Be Wary Of Proposals To ‘Parliamentarise’ EU Decision-making
Strengthening the role of the European Parliament has often been proposed as a method for addressing the EU’s alleged democratic deficit. Sergio Fabbrini writes that while there are legitimate criticisms to be made about intergovernmental models of European integration, any attempt to create a system approximating national parliamentary democracy at the European level would be counter-productive. He […]