Publication

In light of the severe crisis afflicting the European Union and the low regard with which the Union’s institutions are held by the public, the authors argue that three critical areas are in need of clarification and fresh initiative: the common framework for policy coordination, the budget and the democratic deficit in European institutions. They suggest that policy coordination should be addressed first since it has a crucial role in re-establishing support for the goal of integration; the new budget would then be able to better reflect policy priorities; and, finally, the debate on institutions would rest on more solid foundations with credible policy and budgetary frameworks in place.