The State of the European Union. The European Parliament faces its most important elections yet

13 After 10 years in permanent crisis, Europe currently finds itself facing numerous challenges ahead of the upcoming European elections, which are to be held between 23 and 26 May 2019. As a result of the policy of austerity, unemployment remains extremely high in some member states and affects many young people, especially in the countries of southern European. Economic disparity has deepened political and social differences in the Union. The moment of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU) is near. In France, the barricades are ablaze again. There can be no doubt that the current Italian government poses a special challenge to the European institutions. It is openly speculating with the possibility of violating the European rules of the game in the hope of it being other countries that pay the price of its policy. The gradual de-democratisation of the Visegrad Group countries on the pretext that they only aspire to a slightly different type of democracy that is closer to the people actually affects the most sensitive point of the Union: the credibility of its common fundamental political values. The political situation facing Europe is one of the most difficult and complex it has experienced since the Treaty of Rome – and it is not for want of public support. The latest opinion polls conducted by the European Parliament report the greatest sense of proximity to the European project since such surveys began. The difficulties stem from the domestic policies of the member states and from their centripetal attitude in the face of the global challenges of the 21st century – on security, on socioeconomic relations, or on the envi- ronment. It is necessary to rethink Europe and, above all, rethink it together. However, so far there has been a lack of the necessary courage and vision for such an initiative. On what areas should the reform focus? How can the EU recover its capacity for political design? How can we stop the shift to the right cur- rently taking place in Europe? Introduction