Where is the EU heading?

The post-Brexit road is perceived to be bumpy by both leave and remain voters alike. Now that we’re about to get deep into negotiations, the Conservative government prepares to play its hand in a difficult game. And the British public can only watch, and wait.

But as we speculate our future from across the channel, we find little time to worry about what is to become of our neighbours. The crippling economic crisis engulfing the Mediterranean; the terrorist attacks in Paris, Germany and Belgium; the mass of immigrants fleeing from the Middle East – it’s all still going on. The large majority of Europe is still locked into the EU, with heavily mixed sentiment across the continent.

Trying to describe exactly everything the EU does is futile. The laws it establishes and the economic impact it has on Europe are too obscure to define and too large to picture. But despite the lack of clarity regarding the implications, the intentions of those who run it are clear. And they are slowly sinking further into quick sand.

The large majority of Europe is still locked into the EU, with heavily mixed sentiment across the continent.

The European parliament is well aware that the current system isn’t popular – the rising power of far-right groups and various referenda across the continent are pretty self-explanatory. The people are slowly rejecting the EU and what it stands for, while clinging to their own national identity, which they feel is being yanked from their fingertips.

So what does the EU parliament itself want? Lead Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt recently portrayed his ideas in his latest work ‘Europe’s Last Chance’, making a case for his utopia: The United States of Europe. Parallel to the American model, the ‘USE’ would merge all EU member states under one currency and one name, slowly eroding all borders to eventually become a federal union. A final desperate attempt to save itself from fading back into the self-democratic nation states. All in or all out.

The European parliament is well aware that the current system isn’t popular – the rising power of far-right groups and various referenda across the continent are pretty self-explanatory.

But will it work? The plan is ambitious, but in the present day fundamentally flawed. All of the problems created by the current model will be exemplified by this extreme.

Terrorists involved in recent European attacks have benefited from the Schengen Agreement, moving freely across the continent to escape national police forces. In our new hypothetical Europe with no borders, opportunities such as these will be exploited. Is Europe ready to combine all of its security forces together to locate these people? Because if not, we will see more motivation for attacks.

All of the problems created by the current model will be exemplified by this extreme.

And what about the Euro? The Greeks experienced first-hand the national humiliation of agreeing to a third bailout in 2015, with youth unemployment rising to over 50%. And despite incessant protests, their government was immobilized by the Euro’s straitjacket, with no opportunity to devalue or cut interest rates to alleviate the situation.

And that’s just one example. Nation states have no power to manage economic shocks whilst in the Euro, and getting out of it is a close to impossible task. The common currency can benefit those countries with similar economies, but not the whole of Europe.

Nation states have no power to manage economic shocks whilst in the Euro, and getting out of it is a close to impossible task.

Yet we need not look far to spot other personal projects. While Verhofstadt is busy advocating his USE, the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is pushing for an EU army, claiming it would ‘convey to Russia that we were serious about defending values of the EU’.

Each nation would pay a small fee to have its protection entrusted to this army – an idea vehemently rejected by all British political parties across the spectrum. Yet Juncker is more passionate about this than ever before, especially after the US election.

Soldiers would no longer be united under their country’s flag – but under the circle of stars on that azure background, most likely in a foreign country many miles away from where they were born. Does national identity still matter during times of war? Or will people risk their lives on behalf of Europe?

Does national identity still matter during times of war?

Every step towards a unified Europe is a step backwards in swaying the favour of its citizens. The EU is desperately trying to swim against a rising tide of nationalism, but has few options. No matter how Juncker and Verhofstadt think Europe should be managed, their plans have clashed with the values of its people, and they need to reassess their strategy.