The EU - a victim of its own success? (Civitas Blog)

Success, that is, if success is to be measured by the enlargement of EU membership, writes Edmund van der Byl-Knoefel. In these narrow terms, the EU has been an unqualified hit: the concept of a European Union began in 1958 with six members; it now has twenty-seven. However, the former President of the European Parliament, MEP Josep Borrell, does not necessarily agree, claiming, “we (the EU) are suffering from a crisis of heterogeneity and growth”.

He makes a compelling argument: "We are many and with many different visions of the world, so our will is not unanimous and the political project is yet to be defined…you cannot grow from six to twenty-seven with impunity".

This assertion inevitably leads to a number of issues: firstly, that “a crisis of heterogeneity” will surely be made worse by future expansion rather than better. Secondly, with more diverse membership, it will be increasingly difficult to identify, let alone agree on a “unanimous” will or “political project”. Thirdly, is the speed of the widening and deepening of EU ties being matched by coherent aims and objectives for this ever-closer union?

It is also perfectly reasonable to question why it should be that there is anything wrong with “heterogeneity” in the EU? Josep Borrell’s response would most likely be: “Alone, the European countries are impotent. If we want to survive we need to unite”.

However, it is hard to understand how EU countries are able to unite over the majority of issues, whilst at the same time maintaining their own identity and independence on matters deemed important by their governments, and their electorates. Never has this idea been more critical than in the context of the present disarray in the current UK government’s mishandling and false presentation of the EU Treaty.

There is a seeming inevitability to the progression of the EU as a political project, with the effect of continually drawing member states closer together and binding them ever-tighter to the will of its institutions. Yet, before going any further down this avenue, it is important for those leading us along the way define the destination of this “political project”. Only then can we ask whether or not this will be compatible with “many different visions of the world” represented by the increasingly polyglot makeup of today’s EU and that one planned for the future.