European Union: Politics and Policies

The European Union, the highest level of regional integration, is facing a problematic situation due to the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, this is a longstanding problem. From an organization based on the common economic interest of six countries, it has evolved into a political community gathering an increasing number of countries and nations. In the initial phase, the founding fathers had different points of view about the evolution of the community. Monnet foretold a small steps politics aiming toward an intergovernmental organization while Spinelli defended a federalist vision, and this discrepancy has never been overcome. The initial ambiguity continues throughout the life of the community, and the relationship among the several institutions has often been far from satisfactory, explaining the complaints on a democratic deficit in the organization. Moreover, there was a fight between some countries believing in deeper integration and the other ones more interested in spreading the community. This paper analyzes not only the difficulties caused by the mentioned lack of definition but also the main threats that the European Union faces nowadays, i.e., the war climate, the increasing cultural populism with its anti-European discourse, and the terrorism using religious motivations. Finally, it tries to prove that if the European Union overcomes these threats, it will become a successful community.