Forging a Union for the 21^st Century:From Crisis to Opportunity

Abstract

The trajectory of European integration has never been smooth or linear. Rather it is subject to fits and starts and periods of crises and convergence. This paper analyses the legacies of the multiple crises that the EU and Europe have faced since 2008/09; it then situates this in the context of the ties and tensions that characterise European integration, before turning to the final argument that Europe’s Union has an important ‘window of opportunity’ over the next five years to set itself on a more stable trajectory. Talk of the EU’s demise and disintegration was premature in 2016. It remains essential to the fabric and future well-being of this small continent in a world of major shifts and shocks. One of the benefits of both Brexit and Trump is that pro-EU sections of society have woken up to what is at stake and are fighting back.