A very interesting article in the Financial Times about seizing the moment for EU reforms post the German election. Reforms however must be meaningful and reflect views that transcend party lines so they set a firm (rather than fragile) foundation for the EU project; this way we don’t have to go into panic mode every time there is a national election in a member state. I do hope Angela Merkel and other EU leaders understand that winning elections is 1 thing but protecting/developing the EU project as a lasting economic/political block is quite a different proposition. There should be no complacency in taking the EU project for granted and every effort should be taken in order have it evolve in line with public expectations (NOT politician expectations) and continue to make the case/stand up for the project defending it’s record while accepting it’s flaws/working to correct them. The deal breaker in all of this is being able to balance competing priorities/political landscapes within each member state. It is therefore vital that there is sufficient coordination in moving forward with reforms at a trajectory that works for all.
Finally the fear of the far right going into parliament in Germany is in my view misplaced. It is always good to challenge ideology based on policy rather than meaningless rhetoric designed solely to energise the base and it also gives possibility for compromise where appropriate on the future of the EU.
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