Future of Europe

The democratisation of the EU is a fascinating process with an unforeseen outcome: the European Union is emerging as a new kind of international organisation with an equally innovative model of governance. Seventy years after the start of European integration, this book reveals that the determination to lay the foundations for an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe has not led to the creation of a federal state or a confederal association of states. Instead, the EU has evolved over the decades from a union of democratic states to a European democracy. At present, the EU can be characterised as a 'democratic union of democratic states', while it may be regarded from the global perspective as a 'democratic regional organisation'. The outcome of the EU's drive towards ever closer union is as consequential for the study of public law and the humanities as the replacement of the Ptolemaic world vision with the heliocentric view of Copernicus and Galilei has been for science. For the first time since the start of the Early Modern Era, states have broken the vicious circle of war by pooling sovereignty. While the European states learned the hard way in the 20th century that their continent had become too small for absolute sovereignty, the superpowers of the 21st century should perceive the global dangers of climate change, pandemics and nuclear proliferation as warning signals that the world has become too small for unrestrained exercise of absolute sovereignty too.

When EU member states signed the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, they did not anticipate the manifold crises in store for them over the following years. Instead of the intended consolidation of a Union which had just gone through its most profound modernisation and biggest round of enlargements, the EU has since then had to weather a wide range of political, economic, social, legal, health and even military crises with major repercussions within and beyond its own territory. Indeed, this time of polycrisis has induced change on many levels: Across the continent and its many fora of European supra-, trans- and international collaboration, established institutions, rule systems and normative frameworks have been put into question and power balances have been shifting. Against this background, actors from social, political, economic and cultural life have sought new ways to overcome the manifold pressing problems of their time, be it through intensified collaboration or attempts to increasingly resolve issues at the national level.　 This volume offers a compilation of case studies on EU crisis responses, covering the most impactful of the various crises the EU has had to face in recent years. It provides theoretical and conceptual guidelines for the study of political actors' responses to crisis at all levels of the EU multilevel governance system and beyond.

To understand the current difficulties and future prospects of European integration, multiple perspectives are required. The essays in this collection explore historical and geopolitical aspects of European integration and their relevance to interpretations of the current climate. They also examine the different regional dynamics of integration and the attitudes that result from those experiences, including in the European peripheries that are so often overshadowed by the dominant centres. In drawing all of these perspectives together, the collection allows the reader to assess the EU's current crisis in context.

Russia's aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 shook the world and has caused immense suffering and destruction in the invaded country. All indications are that the war will drag on deep into 2023. Until now the conflict has been highly dynamic, both militarily and politically. Ambitions, objectives and achievements have been as dynamic as the policies of the stakeholders involved. While not a military player itself, the European Union has emerged as a significant actor by aiding the Ukrainian war effort, supporting refugees, sanctioning Russia and turning Ukraine into a candidate for EU membership. This book tracks these developments and looks at the key aspects of the war from a European perspective. Beyond the causes and consequences of the war, it explores how Europe - and, more specifically, the EU - has performed during the conflict: something that is likely to determine the future of our continent in many ways.

Europe is neither a deus ex machina nor a scapegoat, but can make a real difference to European citizens in their daily life. Those citizens are the real stakeholders in the European story. Europe has proven that it can realize what was considered by many as impossible. The internal market and the euro have become feats that others envy. Processes can be slow and errors have been made, such as the decoupling of monetary and economic policy, but the European project has proven to be solid and able to navigate through turbulent waters and crises. Moreover, crises often appeared to act as an accelerator for the European integration process. COVID-19 is a prime example. The next-generation project is an unprecedented injection into the real economy. Financing through European loans would never have been possible without COVID-19. Other examples, such as space policy and the monetary union, showcase Europe's standing on the world stage. However, Europe is under attack. Populism and nationalism are rampant, the United Kingdom has left the Union and public confidence in Europe is waning. How should it move forward? With that question, the author takes the reader behind the scenes and delves into the story of Europe: a story of ambitions and illusions. With his unique, personal insights from his experiences working in European institutions, he explores the future of Europe and proposes twelve priorities for action at a European level, which he calls the 'Twelve Labours of Hercules'. The book provides a positive answer to the question of whether Europe can still mean something to its citizens and sets out to promote Europe as a continent to be proud of, and not one to be torpedoed again and again. The book encourages readers to develop their own vision of Europe and its future, and also invites them to critique Europe but, above all, engage with it. RUDY AERNOUDT holds Master's degrees in Thomistic Philosophy (University of Leuven), in Industrial and Monetary Economy (University of Leuven) and in European Economy (College of Europe). He is an experienced Professor of Corporate Finance and European Policy and has outstanding international and European experience (MIT, OECD, European Commission, European Council and European Social and Economic Committee). Uniquely, he has occupied Chief of Staff positions at European, national and regional level and served in the Belgian government as Secretary-General for Economy, Science and Innovation. He is currently Senior Economist at the European Commission dealing with space economics, enterprise and entrepreneurship, financing of enterprises and industrial policy, and Professor of Corporate Finance at the Universities of Ghent and Nancy and at the executive Master's of BMI.

The world has been splintered by geopolitics and yet is still bound by inter­dependence. As competition between the world's great powers surges, multiple trends point towards the collapse of the international order. Russia's aggression against Ukraine marks a tipping point, potentially turning an already contested world into one of lasting regression on the political, security, economic, social and environmental fronts. While this scenario is not inevitable, it will take determined leadership to ward it off. This book argues that the European Union can, in cooperation with others, play a crucial role in averting a regressive world. However, doing so will require a decisive change of gear: deepening European integration while pursuing EU enlargement, enhancing all dimensions of Europe's power, and shifting from crisis management to delivering structural solutions to systemic challenges.

This book analyzes the causes of five dilemmas that are shaping European integration- populism, migration, the Euro, Brexit, and enlargement. While critical of the responses of European Union actors in handling these crises, the author outlines avenues which might avoid the potential collapse of Europe.

Is the European Union still a viable project? The last few years have been difficult both economically and politically, while its integrative function and legitimacy have been seriously tested. For many social, economic and geo-political reasons, its expansionary moment has stopped abruptly. On the contrary, the Greek economic crisis and the Brexit referendum have raised the spectre of fragmentation and political disintegration. The promise of the EU as a possible model for legitimate governance beyond the nation state lies somewhat in tatters. Even if the EU may indeed survive most of its current crises, is the project of a EU as a normative project beyond rescue? Ever since Maastricht, the democratic legitimacy of the EU has been a key concern of policy makers, citizens and academics alike. This issue is essentially a normative one, and over the same period our work in this area has been at the forefront in exploring what has come to be known (following an early working paper we wrote with this title in 2000) 'the normative turn in EU studies'. The debate on the democratic form and legitimacy of the EU is one that has gone on for some time and to which we, together with other scholars, have tried to contribute in the course of the last twenty years or so. Collecting articles written over the course of this period is not just meant as the testimony of an intellectual journey, but also a way of tracing such a journey in retrospect and mapping the important moments of the intellectual and scholarly debates that have contributed to shaping both our understanding and our expectations of the EU's possible futures.