{"id":31957,"date":"2015-12-30T23:43:36","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T22:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/?p=31957"},"modified":"2016-01-01T22:38:25","modified_gmt":"2016-01-01T21:38:25","slug":"31957","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/31957\/","title":{"rendered":"Where is the EU Heading in 2016?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Morris writes: \u00a0The European Union has often taken its boldest steps at moments of crisis. But although the political impulse to “keep the show on the road” remains strong, 2015 feels a little different.<\/p>\n

Even among those countries that have integrated most closely, a number of competing visions of Europe have emerged during the year.<\/p>\n

A broadly north-south split on how to strengthen the eurozone has been mirrored by a broadly east-west split on how to begin to cope with a million arriving migrants.<\/p>\n

Dominating debate and dividing opinion – on these and other issues – is a Germany that seems to have put its historical baggage behind it, and is now Europe’s clear leader.<\/p>\n

Berlin appears determined to build a stronger EU, often in its own image, but it will not have everything its own way.<\/p>\n

Proposals from the European Commission focus on more integration: creating the post of a eurozone finance minister, for example, or an EU border guard force, with the power to intervene against the wishes of an individual member state.<\/p>\n

Big problems do need big solutions. But finding detailed agreement in 28 different capitals, on such far-reaching issues of national sovereignty, is proving extremely difficult.<\/p>\n

One obvious weakness is structural. That is partly because the EU is an experiment in shared sovereignty, which has never quite been tried before.<\/p>\n

The clear-cut solution to many of its problems would be to go the whole hog, and create something approaching a federal state. Or to transfer many powers back to nation states that still co-operate, but have far fewer institutional links.<\/p>\n

But the current dispensation – muddling along in the middle – is perhaps the most difficult of all to get right.<\/p>\n

In part, the EU has only itself to blame. Two of its most prominent creations – the euro and the Schengen passport-free zone – are incomplete constructions.<\/p>\n

In both cases, the big ideas were put into practice without all the building blocks properly in place.<\/p>\n

And when they have come under unexpected pressure, systems created in the spirit of compromise have proven to be barely fit for purpose.<\/p>\n

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\"Graphic\"<\/span><\/figure>\n

It has all led to an atmosphere of gathering gloom, some of it unwarranted.<\/p>\n

For all its problems, Europe is still one of the most attractive places in the world to live. Why else would a million people have risked everything to get there?<\/p>\n

But the relative decline of Europe as a global power has generated anxiety, as high unemployment and low growth in many countries have sapped confidence in existing political structures.<\/p>\n

Anti-establishment parties of the radical left and right have made gains throughout the year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As 2016 approaches though, this may not be a time for mulling over long-term trends. It is all set to be another year with short-term crisis management to the fore.<\/p>\n

And if there is one thing the EU needs above all else, it is clear political leadership, to help Europe navigate through the storms to come.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chris Morris writes: \u00a0The European Union has often taken its boldest steps at moments of crisis. But although the political impulse to “keep the show on the road” remains strong, 2015 feels a little different. Even among those countries that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-finance","category-globalization"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t