The world is going through one of the toughest moments in decades. Russia started the war in Ukraine, causing massive problems in economics for the whole world. However, besides the financial crisis, the European Union has had enough of its own unsolved problems. One of the occasions that affected the European Union’s power was Brexit, which officially came to an end on the last day of 2020. Bale states that “Great Britain objected to Brussel’s undermining of the country’s national sovereignty, its lack of democratic legitimacy, and to the way membership limited the United Kingdom’s ability to play the global role” (2018, p. 268). The departure of one of the most powerful members of the Union weakened both sides. However, it affected the EU’s reputation and support and it still does, because of Great Britain’s anti-EU populism. It also weakened European Union’s concepts, such as common borders and Euro, because Great Britain’s exit meant their desire to strengthen their local currency in the form of the pound.
Candidates for top EU positions are also marks of their slow debilitation and crisis as an international power. Studies show that “only a third of Germans believe Von der Leyen is a good candidate for the powerful Brussels position, while fifty-six percent think otherwise” (Mudde, 2019, p. 2). Other top positioners like Josep Borrell were involved in different scandals and showed the lack of democracy in Brussel’s policy. That happened because of the system of an election the European Union has. 2014 attempt to change the European voters’ role in the process has led to a return to the previous method, which is national governments’ horse-trading. In my opinion, the European Union is going through a crisis in many areas and needs global changes to bring everything back to normal. The solution for this issue is in the amplification of their citizens’ role in the processes of election and other choices.
References
Bale, T. (2018). Who leads and who follows? The symbiotic relationship between UKIP and the Conservatives – and populism and Euroscepticism. Politics, 38(3), 263-277.
Mudde, C. (2019). European governments are fuelling Euroscepticism. The Guardian, 1-4.