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

THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 42 the individual, tradition and modernity, the im- mediate and the distant, competition and eq- uity with respect for all, routine and progress, ideals and reality – these all oblige us to reject prescriptivism and rigidity and to instead envis- age and cultivate a common destiny for the emancipation of humankind.” Equality of op- portunity has been a common theme on the education agenda in Portugal, championed through initiatives such as the phased provision of free books for compulsory education and the push to recognise secondary education not just as a precursor to higher education but to in- crease flexibility to allow drive and success in education to be factored into standard-setting and quality assessment. Autonomy among fur- ther education institutions, universities and pol- ytechnics and the optimisation of assessment mechanisms have also been highlighted in this connection. In terms of culture, Portugal has fo- cused on the participation of schools in activities carried out in the scope of the European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018 (including the school library network programme to name but one), placing the country at the forefront of a wide array of worthy initiatives that seek to counter reductive interpretations of our multifaceted cultural heritage. The challenges of European democracy Portugal is naturally feeling the effects of the tur- bulence and uncertainty currently surrounding the European debate. The EU is displaying symp- toms of a chronic disease that is threatening to leave it irrelevant, weak and submissive in a po- larised world fraught with uncertainty and risks that range from the growing influence of new Asian powers to disorder in the Middle East and from senseless terror to the dearth of effective intercultural dialogue. There is a lack of shared political will and capacity to solve an equation containing at least three unknowns: first, how do we ensure that citizens can actively partici- pate in the setting of common goals through effective mediating institutions? How do we connect politics and economics to ensure that the EU has an active role in fostering balance and regulation on the international stage? And finally, how do we ensure that we are cultivat- ing a sustainable development that takes into account knowledge, learning, innovation, cohe- sion and quality of life? These questions de- mand coherent and effective answers that lie in the realisation of subsidiarity, decentralisation, devolution and strategic planning among States in liaison with the European Union. The quality of a democracy thus depends on citizen partici- pation, social cohesion and sustainability, all of which require genuine sharing of resources and responsibilities. The environment and climate change, the threat of cyberterrorism, the need for clean energy and the protection of our qual- ity of life are all elements that oblige us to pro- tect and promote responsible citizenship and human dignity. Financial and budgetary dili- gence and economic sustainability are key to a stable, organised society that has the capacity required to defend the common good. However, the only way to overcome populism and ensure that our institutions carry out their representa- tive and mediating functions is to urgently con- sider a total redefinition of the social contract. The right and the rights The state exists for the people and not vicever- sa. The whole should not come before its con- stituent parts and the individual has intrinsic value, yet some believe that the individual has