In the run-up to the German elections in 2017, Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schäuble repeatedly stated that in EU politics “this is no time for visions”. We disagree. As famously argued by Max Weber, world images and visions can sometimes operate as switchmen, channelling historical developments towards new directions. But ideas need political ‘carriers’.

The role the EU plays in handling immigration has quickly become a highly-contested subject in the public opinions of different EU member states. Do Europeans approve or disapprove policies the EU implemented to manage immigration?

The monetary regime of the Euro under which 19 very diverse national economies within the EU now live and operate is dysfunctional. It does not serve its alleged and promised purpose of convergence but does the exact opposite. It is economically and politically divisive: some participants win, others lose, and the gap becomes wider.

The narrative on sovereign debt issues has changed from being focused on the benefits from fiscal consolidation to highlighting the importance of addressing systemic risk and financial fragmentation in the EMU.

This article elaborates the multidimensional concept of “EU-politanism”, which refers to respondent’s connections with citizens of other countries and their familiarity with the EU context. In recent Italian elections, voters with EU-politan experiences expressed less extreme positions on the EU and immigration.