Forward to a second chance for Europe

Abstract

European citizens will be worse off if the EU crumbles. It will first impact economic growth, then collective security. Before this comes to pass, Europe should get a second chance to fix the fault lines beneath the EU's foundations. But what are these fault lines that are causing it to crumble? In many countries, there is public distrust-even disgust-with "Brussels", particularly among the losers of globalisation. Then there is the fault line between the east and west, whereby some Eastern EU countries have reneged on their commitments to "good governance". Immigration is another cause for concern, particularly in the south and northwest of Europe, which is testing European cooperation to the limits. Then we have the Euro, which is simply not sustainable given the long-run divergence in economic growth between the north and the south. Finally, without an agreed second language, communication in the EU remains awkward and stilted. The EU built on the Maastricht and Lisbon Treaty needs an overhaul to make it more earthquake proof. This means strengthening existing structures and possibly abandoning parts of the building-leaving an EU hard-core, with associate members joining some, but not all, EU programmes.