After the elections what are the prospects for the European Union?

After the elections for the European Parliament on 22nd - 25th May 2014 what future lied ahead for the Europeans? What were the European Union's prospects? Whilst at the height of the euro crisis some forecast the disappearance of the single European currency, and even quite simply the collapse of Europe, what did things look like then just as the end of the crisis seemed to be turning into a reality? Europeans were particularly concerned about the future. A great majority of them believed that the lives of the young generation would be more difficult than theirs had been. Europe therefore had to prepare to rise to the major challenges of tomorrow. How? - by promoting all of its existing assets and especially by improving its weak points. Several things might influence the way Europeans saw the future positively: improvements in the economic situation first and foremost, also changes that were due to be made to the European institutions in the follow-up to the last election.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: The 2012 Ageing Report: Economic and budgetary projections for the 27 EU Member States (2010-2060) http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-2012-ageing-report-economic-and-budgetary-projections-for-the-27-eu-member-states-2010-2060/

European Commission: Special Eurobarometer 413: Future of Europe: Report (2014) http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_413_en.pdf

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