The EU should abandon ‘ever closer union’ in favour of ‘flexible differentiation’ after Brexit

The phrase ‘ever closer union’ has been a stated goal of the European integration project since its inclusion in the Treaty of Rome in 1957, but following Brexit is it now time to reassess the direction of the integration process? Pol Morillas writes that with radically different integration ambitions now present among the member states, a strategy of ‘flexible differentiation’ would be far better suited to the needs of Europe’s citizens.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Informal meeting of the 27 heads of state or government, Bratislava, 16 September 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/record/informal-meeting-of-the-27-heads-of-state-or-government-bratislava-16-september-2016/

CIDOB: Shapes of a Union: From Ever Closer Union to Flexible Differentiation after Brexit, January 2017 http://www.cidob.org/es/publicaciones/serie_de_publicacion/notes_internacionals/n1_166/shapes_of_a_union_from_ever_closer_union_to_flexible_differentiation_after_brexit

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