As part of the ’Reinventing Europe' project, ECFR is publishing a series of papers on debates about the future of Europe. As a British EU referendum looks increasingly likely, YouGov has conducted fresh research for ECFR into the roots of British attitudes to Europe.
First we had a banking crisis; then we added a sovereign debt crisis; now we also have a political crisis, and one that strikes to the heart of what the European Union was designed to achieve.
Enlargement is far from over, with Croatia due to join next year and other countries in the Western Balkans still working towards accession. And although the challenges are considerable, further expansion is not just in these countries’ interests but in the interests of the EU itself.
From our Reinvention of Europe series of National papers
As the eurozone begins a process of accelerated integration and British Prime Minister David Cameron comes under increasing pressure from Eurosceptic Conservative MPs and public opinion, a moment of truth may come sooner rather than later. So does the United Kingdom have a European future?
As speculation about a Greek exit from the eurozone continues, Germany is pushing ahead with plans for a new treaty that might result in a transformation of the EU – or its disintegration.
What next for EU enlargement?
The markets have made a habit of being wrong when analysing decisions made by policy makers trying to fix the euro crisis. Now they've made it clear they are disappointed by the words of Mario Draghi, and they're wrong again.
As part of the ‘Reinvention of Europe’ project, ECFR is publishing a series of papers on the national debates within EU member states about the crisis and the future direction of Europe. The fifth paper in the series examines the situation in the Netherlands ahead of crucial elections.
With Russia due to play a central role in multilateral institutions over the next two years, its obstructionism over Syria does not bode well. However Europeans may find – to their benefit – that it is actually China that calls the shots on the international stage.