[ceilingcorner]

The individual countries of the EU have not coordinated on this whatsoever and I can't see it remaining in its current form post-crisis. We're probably looking at a more loosely-defined trade union and a trend away from further integration. I'm not sure if this will be good or bad for the European economy, but it will certainly affect it in the short-term.

[CaciaraAsAServi]

I am of opposite opinion. Being a strange unprecedented political lifeform, the EU might be further defined in some of its instituions after this crisis. After the collapse of the USSR and German reunification they defined one piece, after the 2008 crisis some other piece, and so on.. maybe the EU can only be shaped crisis after crisis, being so particular a political entity. Look for example at how they are now discussing the Eurobond issue (means: moving a bit toward fiscal integration).

It seems IMHO that such a historically new process cannot proceed linearly but only via sudden accelerations determined by the occurrence of crises (and talking about crises, I guess that in the next decades there will be enough of those)

Or maybe not.

[bambataa]

I see it more of a restatement of the status quo. For all the talk in the UK of an EU superstate etc, each member state remains a sovereign country and can unilaterally shut its borders if it wants to. Yes it’s probably clipped the wings of the federalists but they never spoke for the whole EU.