As Europe Day approaches, the EU should take stock of where the integration project stands. If the Commission is taken as an indicator, the EU appears to have broadened its political ambitions in response to the permacrisis. But its ability to translate those ambitions into durable outcomes has not kept pace.
In earlier phases of integration, the Union was judged by results more than by declarations. Its legitimacy rested on delivery grounded in evidence, inclusive and unglamorous consultation, and dull but effective expertise. Today, trade-offs are sharper and results more contested, with the EU bureaucratic machinery being caught in the crossfire.
At present, the Union appears to be between a rock and a hard place: political ambition without sufficient civic support, and technocratic style without the desired outcomes.
In becoming more political, the Union risks losing the technocratic method that once secured support from within. Political, economic and civil society actors may therefore ask why they should support decisions that appear driven by short-term political calculations rather than by long-term vision and effective administration.
What, then, does this new phase of European integration require? Without a doubt – stronger accountability and thicker civic cohesion – but also the preservation and investment in the Union’s administrative capacity and the wider ecosystem that sustains it, including think tanks and expert consultation.
Public trust in the Union remains relatively high, but this should not be mistaken for a blank cheque. Europe needs more than crisis governance. It needs a stronger vision and the means to deliver it. En Europe, il faut le pompier, mais aussi l’architecte.
Alberto Horst Neidhardt is a Senior Policy Analyst and Head of the European Diversity and Migration programme.
The support the European Policy Centre receives for its ongoing operations, or specifically for its publications, does not constitute an endorsement of their contents, which reflect the views of the authors only. Supporters and partners cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
