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

THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 10 No Member State has wished to imitate Great Britain. The Twenty- Seven have maintained a single negotiating position in the face of several attempts to divide it. And since the date of the referendum, popular sup- port for the single currency and the Union has increased, hitting the high- est levels since 2002, as recent Eurobarometer polls show. Yet still today the euro, inequality and the collective management of migration remain outstanding challenges for the Union. We might also add the challenge of becoming a true global player. In 2050, Africa will have 2.5 billion inhabitants; India is set to have 1.7 billion. The Union will remain on more or less the same number as now: 500 million. As a result of the growing inequality and the poor management of migratory flows, national populist movements have arisen that are either Europhobic or Eurosceptic. These parties may capture and express the discontent of significant social sectors, but the challenges mentioned above will not be met by re- turning to the nation state. On the contrary. In an interdependent world like ours little can be done, however much one might brandish a sover- eignty that is more formal than real. If Spain had had the peseta and not the euro in 2004, it could not have taken its troops out of Iraq. Therefore, what we need is more and better Europe. More Europe means a Union with more competences and a budget to be able to address the major challenges of our era – which are transna- tional –, such security, climate change, migration, or inequality. It certainly should not mean “more austerity”. Quite the opposite, it must mean a Europe with a marked social dimen- sion to improve quality of life and curb social disparities: European unem- ployment insurance, a minimum monthly wage and taxes on financial transactions and technological platforms. Better Europe means a Europe that is more agile in its decision-making and more democratic. That is why we must abolish the rule of unanimity in certain key areas, such as foreign policy, taxation, the establishment of new own resources and the multiannual budget. It is also necessary to strengthen the European Parliament so that, on an equal footing with the Council, it can approve European taxes and the long-term budget, matters that today are reserved for the states. This type of change would make it possible to complete European construction with a federal-style political union, which is essential to pur- suing policies of the social Europe and acting with decision in the world.