The European Union (EU), and most notably the Eurozone, has been in a state of economic, political and institutional crisis for almost a decade now, and yet leadership is still in scarce supply among its key players. Amid this vacuum of political leadership, it is a formally technocratic actor that has emerged to provide some clear and effective responses to Europe’s crisis, namely the European Central Bank (ECB).

The recent Italian elections provide evidence of a political conflict between the winners and losers of globalisation. The latter tend to be more hostile to the EU and the Euro, more chauvinist and more likely to vote for Eurosceptic parties.

Effectively responding to the existing negative emotions (fear, resentment, etc.) directed towards European institutions and essential to the rise of the populist movements requires a new commitment on new premises, a renewed regime of equal respect, equal dignity and political equality.

Approximately every seven years, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament receive a proposal for the EU’s future multiannual budget. The sender is the European Commission, which in its proposal also takes into account the preferences of a wide array of stakeholders, including NGOs, civil society organizations and various public authorities. The resulting document, called the multiannual financial framework (MFF), initiates a policy process that eventually ends with the Council and the European Parliament approving the multiannual budget.

Support for free movement in the EU is on the rise, but there’s a catch: enthusiasm is limited to EU migrants. First episode of a series entitled “Free movement and migration in the EU”