How flexible should Europe be?

How flexible should Europe be?

Working paper
Ben Hall
06 October 2000

A European Union (EU) of 26 or more member-states will certainly be far more diverse – in economic, social, cultural and political terms – than the current one. Few people would argue that a monolithic, homogenous Union is what Europe needs. In order to accommodate different aspirations, it makes sense to allow groups of member-states to integrate at different speeds and in different policy areas. The question is thus no longer whether the EU needs flexibility at all, but rather, what sort of flexibility and with what aims?

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