E.U. as a Global Actor? The Imbalance Between Economic and Political Integration Weakens the E.U.
E.U. as a Global Actor? The Imbalance Between Economic and Political Integration Weakens the E.U.

Summary/Abstract: The European Union (E.U.) is a unique interconnection of states, which has helped the peaceful development of Europe in the last sixty years. Initially, E.U had at its core the idea of gradual economic integration representing a platform for confronting national interests and for seeking consensus. The success of this model was also confirmed by the perpetual E.U. enlargement waves, while E.U. activities went far beyond the initial expectations. E.U. strengthens Europe’s position in international relations; membership and integration also strengthen the position of individual states, especially the position of medium-sized and small states. In recent years, the growth of the E.U. decelerated. The imbalance between the common integrated economy and the political unwillingness to deepen integration in the political sphere, represented the main source for this dissonance. Historically, all the critical situations that threatened the E.U. with the risk of disintegration, led to a deepening of the E.U. integration process. The current puzzle has three solutions and three basic directions may present themselves in the future: 1) a direction of political integration; 2) a direction of stagnation; and 3) a direction towards disintegration both in the economic and political areas. Each of these directions may become a reality in the future. The present paper provides an analysis of each of those directions.

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