Luuk van Middelaar Book order (chronological)

The last decade has seen the EU beset by crisis and Covid-19 has presented yet another threat to its existence. Luuk van Middelaar assesses the EU's response and how it has been shaped by it.

Keine Solidarität, geschlossene Schlagbäume statt offener Grenzen. Als die Corona-Pandemie Europa erreichte, waren sich die Beobachter bald einig: Brüssel hat versagt, im Angesicht der Gefahr ist die EU »zu Roststaub zerfallen« (Der Spiegel). Die Rhetorik des bevorstehenden Untergangs begleitet die Union freilich seit mindestens einem Jahrzehnt – und erwies sich doch stets als stark übertrieben. Der Eindruck der Dauerkrise, so Luuk van Middelaar, verdankt sich einer Metamorphose von der Regel- zur Ereignispolitik: Statt stiller Technokratie ist Improvisationsfähigkeit gefragt. Da Corona die Körper alle Bürgerinnen und Bürger bedroht, wird Europa zu einer öffentlichen Angelegenheit. Und die EU realisiert, dass sie sich zwischen China und den USA selbstbewusst positionieren muss.

A revealing and candid portrayal of a Europe improvising its way through a series of crises. Forced into action by a tidal wave of emergencies, Europe has had to reinvent itself, casting off its legal straitjacket and confronting hard issues that threaten its own political identity.

The untold story of the crises and compromises that united a continent

Provides the untold story of the crises and compromises that lead to the formation of the European Union.

The untold story of the crises and compromises that united a continent As financial turmoil in Europe preoccupies political leaders and global markets, it becomes more important than ever to understand the forces that underpin the European Union, hold it together and drive it forward. This timely book provides a gripping account of the realities of power politics among European states and between their leaders. Drawing on long experience working behind the scenes, Luuk van Middelaar captures the dynamics and tensions shaping the European Union from its origins until today. It is a story of unexpected events and twists of fate, bold vision and sheer necessity, told from the perspective of the keyplayers – from de Gaulle to Havel, Thatcher to Merkel. Van Middelaar cuts through the institutional complexity by exploring the unforeseen outcomes of decisive moments and focusing on the quest for public legitimacy. As a first-hand witness to the day-to-day actions and decisions of Europe’s leaders, the author provides a vivid narrative of the crises and compromises that united a continent. By revisiting the past, he sheds fresh light on the present state of European unification and offers insights into what the future may hold.