The State of European Integration: Where Does the EU Stand and in What Direction Is It Heading?

Abstract

In the concluding chapter, the editors take stock of the state of integration seventy years after the EU’s inception. In the early 2020s, the EU faces once again the fateful question of whether integration should proceed in a federal direction, or whether varied flexible solutions to concrete problems should guide its development instead. The stock-taking is seen against the acute challenges that the current situation in the world underline, not least the war in Ukraine, the energy and cost of living crises, with impact on how the EU and its member states tackle the long-standing climate crisis. In this ominous context, it is important that the member states hold together and find strength in their common endeavours. Nonetheless, certain member states are challenging the Union’s fundamental values in a way never seen before and which have clear implications for further integration. The authors argue that political leadership is needed to stake out the way ahead. The EU’s institutions have a role to play, but they cannot act without legitimacy and support from the member states.