The Existencial crisis of the European Union

Abstract

The European Union is living an existential crisis. Two remarks are needed in the face of the disintegration of multinational political communities: the unpredictability and rapidity of the process of disintegration compared to the slowness of their formation. Despite the marked differences, this is an immediate lesson in History for the European Union. We are in front of the first case where the effects of the « macro crisis » directly affect the populations, the majority of the citizens, who suffer in their bodies and minds. In addition, the Union and its peoples have been exposed to a host of threats and challenges, both internally and externally. Whether in the Eurozone, migratory flows, impoverishment instead of prosperity, terrorism, security or defense, these interacting areas all require, at different levels, recourse to sovereign powers.