The Event

Historically, states and unions of states appear to have benefited from increased plurality in economy and politics (Acemoglu & Robinson, 2012). The EU managed to make it easier for oligarchs to overtake the legislation of sovereign member-states while exploiting low salaries in an ever-expanding single market. Concomitantly, the European Parliament and Commision lack the legitimity of a national parliament, with the power of each citizen's vote being diluted. Therefore, wealth and power are becoming increasingly concentrated within a few corporations and political circles. The EU has become a union that allow the few to extract the richness produced by the many. At the same time, it is democratically dysfunctional in that the most important decisions are not legitimized by vote. The covid-19 crisis exposed the weaknesses of the EU, both economically and politically. With the whole system threatening to collapse, the survival of the EU rests on its capacity to reform and to better distribute its wealth and to boost decision-making transparency. We will discuss about how we got here and wander about how inclusiveness could save the European Project.