EU Affairs

The future of the European Union is no longer necessarily a linear process toward deeper integration. Since the financial crisis hit the EU seven years ago, the eurozone has deepened both institutionally and in terms of risk sharing. At the same time, it is subject to increasing economic divergence, and hence has to weather substantial political controversy. Meanwhile, already on the margins of the EU, the U.K. is pondering an exit from the EU, and the rising affect of populist parties across EU member states challenges the political consensus on deeper integration. GMF explores the drivers and possible pathways of EU integration and disintegration, and contributes to the debate regarding how the coherence, functionality, and legitimacy of the EU and the euro area can be improved.