Re-establishing the legitimacy of the European project and overcoming its (in)famous “democratic deficit” require – among other things – the re-politicization of the relationship between the economic and the social.

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’.

Do Europeans prefer that their governments or that EU institutions deal with non-European immigration fluxes? It all depends on the country…

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.

Europeans exhibit strong approval for the EU to support vulnerable individuals with little differences in approval rates between countries.