Brussels’ knee-jerk reaction to crises is to ask for more power. Its latest series of problems has fuelled right-wing populism, which feeds off the idea that the European Union already has too much influence. Unless the bloc adopts more decentralised solutions, it could unravel.
As the EU grapples with an influx of refugees, terrorism and the lingering euro crisis, doomsters are outlining apocalyptic visions. Niall Ferguson, a history professor at Harvard University, has compared the EU’s current position to the decline of the Roman Empire, arguing that it has let its defences crumble. Brendan Simms, a history professor at Cambridge University, has drawn parallels with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, saying these were all unsuccessful attempts to create supranational entities.
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