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

The political situation facing Europe is one of the most difficult and complex it has expe- rienced 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 proxim- ity to the European project since such surveys began. The difficulties stem from the domestic policies of the member states and from their cen- tripetal attitude in the face of the global challenges of the 21st century – on security, on socioeconomic relations, or on the environment. 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 ar- eas should the reform focus? How can the EU recover its capacity for political design? How can we stop the shift to the right currently taking place in Europe? The Union has to respond to this complicated situation, and it must do so with a European and consensual spirit. Yet above all it has to respond by making decisions, adopting concrete measures, some of which are long-awaited. These decisions will come after the elections to the European Parliament in May and they will depend on how citizens vote in those continental elections. The political parties have the obvious duty to explain what they are proposing to the Union in the election campaign. We in this report offer an analysis of the situation and, as in every edition, we make political recommendations. In this context, the best way of taking the next step would be via a rapprochement of those that remain loyal to Europe, forming a European nucleus of countries capable of taking action and ready to do so – a group that, at the same time, remains open to all those that wish to contribute to the task, particularly the countries that share the single currency. Director: Diego López Garrido Coordinator: María Pallares ISBN 978-84-948895-2-3