Chapter 23 - Re-unite EUrope: A shared Leitmotiv for the next EU leadership

Janis A. Emmanouilidis analyses that the EU’s record over the past decade is somewhat mixed and that it is highly difficult to predict its future path given the many uncertainties inside and outside Europe. One thing that is certain is that the Union and its members will face two fundamental, structural challenges in the coming years: a high degree of fragmentation between countries and a high level of polarisation within national societies. To counter these challenges, which will strongly affect the ability of EU institutions and member states to deal with future internal as well as external turbulences, he argues that the Union’s new leadership should follow a shared Leitmotiv aiming to help Re-unite EUrope at both the European and national level.