The European Union has a future

Abstract

Addressing the Chatham House Conference in London on January 30th, Guy Verhofstadt said it was Europe’s “last chance to form a more perfect union”. He called for giving the EU more powers so that it could tackle its crises. Europe should be rebuilt along the lines of a confederation or a federation based on the US model. It may have not been the last chance, but the EU needs reforms. The threats to the EU are real and should be dealt with. The EU can be reorganized as a state because it already performs so many functions of a state. Should it become a federation or a confederation? Should it be based on the US model? These questions require majorresearch and rethinking. This paper addresses several issues: the EU power and its geo-strategic position, constitutional development and other reforms currently taking place, some federalist theories behind European integration, and the EU’s future. Our research here is mainly in the realm of legal and politicalstudy. Our conclusion is that the EU has a future as a well-established and indispensable part of today’s world.