The rise of Eurosceptic parties all across Europe, the complex bargain after the Brexit vote, and the limited capability of EU institutions to react to economic and social crises have kicked off a comprehensive reform debate on the future of European integration. The debate has become more urgent due to diverging economic trends among the main economies participating in the Euro area.
This event will discuss how narratives around the EU and the EMU are developing and what the politicians’ perceptions of them are.
We will rely on two studies: in the first one the historical trends related to the euro-crisis were analysed through identifying the key topics in articles from influential newspapers in the four largest euro-area countries (Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung, France’s Le Monde, Italy’s La Stampa, and Spain’s El País). In particular, the authors of the study analyse where the blame for the crisis has been laid, with the aim of informing the current debate on euro-area governance reform.
In the second study, a survey on the future of European integration was conducted last autumn in the national parliaments of France, Italy, and Germany; more specifically, in the French Senate and Assemblée Nationale, the Italian Camera dei Deputati and Senato della Repubblica, and the German Bundestag. The survey covers three reform dimensions: i) the division of competencies between the European and national level, ii) EMU reforms, and iii) the future of EU finance and decision-making.
The results shed light on possible next steps in the debate on European integration. While there is hope that a more European response to at least some policies may emerge, a larger consensus has yet to be reached around new instruments and institutions to reform the euro-area.
