In March 2017, the EU Commission published a document which aimed to ‘map out the challenges and opportunities ahead of us and present how we can collectively choose to respond’. In the Introduction to the white paper, some of the main criticisms of the EU are acknowledged. It recognized that many people find the EU too distant, too interfering and question whether the EU contributes to improvements in their standard of living. It also recognized that confidence in the EU project has been shaken by the Financial Crisis and its aftermath.

The white paper presents five scenarios for Europe by 2025 to help ‘steer the debate’ about the future of Europe.
The five scenarios are headed ‘Carrying on’, ‘Nothing but the single market’, ‘Those who want more do more’, ‘Doing less more efficiently’ and ‘Doing much more together’. The scenarios inform policy decisions on the ability of the EU to make decisions more quickly and efficiently on the EU budget, foreign policy and defence, Schengen, migration, security, economic and monetary union, and the single market and trade.
Some of the policy overviews acknowledge some of the limitations of the EU. It notes that the single market is not complete and needs strengthening, in particular, capital markets, but in addition notes the importance of closer integration through further harmonization of standards and enforcement. Policies to improve cooperation in the management of external borders and making progress to a common asylum system are a feature of the challenges which migration to the EU has presented.
On foreign policy, the scenario is that the EU will speak with one voice, and closer cooperation over foreign policy and defence will result in the creation of a European Defence Union. A key area is the EU budget, and it is envisioned that there will be further fiscal integration to help build stability in the euro area and across the EU27 as a whole.
Critical Thinking Questions
1 To what extent would you agree with the view that the EU has been a victim of its own success?
2 How far do you think that tax harmonization across the EU is essential for the single market to be strengthened?
3 Given the criticism of the EU acknowledged in the white paper, do you think that closer cooperation and harmonization is the correct response to these criticisms and will help EU citizens identify more closely with the EU?
4 How essential is greater fiscal integration to the future stability of the euro?
5 One of the main themes of the white paper is closer cooperation on key challenges facing the EU. Given the rise of populist political groups across Europe and the reasons why UK voters voted to leave the EU, do you think that this is the right focus for the EU in the future? Explain.