Building a better Europe for all

Next year will be crucial for the EU. Citizens will elect a new European Parliament, which will vote for a new president of the EU Commission. There will be a new president of the European Council and a new high representative for foreign and security policy.

This change of personnel represents an ideal opportunity to debate what Europe stands for, and how tocreate a more stable, integrated, and prosperous union — one based on solidarity, interdependence, and enlightened self-interest.

Over the past few years, Europe has made extraordinary progress in responding to the financial crisis. But the future of Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union depends on three crucial components: Greater economic convergence, greater openness within the single market, and greater resilience to asymmetric shocks. Achieving these goals does not depend on (further) technical discussions, but on forging a new political consensus in favour of a more supranational approach.