The financial crisis is bearing down hard on Europe. Newspaper headlines bemoan the European Union’s lack of unity, political vision and leadership; some even talk of a break-up. Can it really have come to this? Focus only on the short term and you might suppose the answer was yes. Step back and look at the incredible “movie” of the EU story, however, and a very different picture emerges.
From the ashes of postwar Europe, the vision of union has given us peace after centuries of conflict. The common market has made Europe a leading economic power in the world. As internal borders fell, people began to feel part of a space much larger than their own countries. The enlargement at the end of the 1990s has offered a sense of belonging to a peaceful, democratic family. History has been moving forward in a virtuous direction, albeit with the occasional setback.
So, what is happening now? Has this inspiring narrative broken down? I do not believe so. The problem is that short-term politics are taking their toll. No European leader has yet had the courage to say that a solution is impossible if we go backwards rather then forwards.