Europe's Coming of Age

Loukas Tsoukalis is Emeritus Professor at the University of Athens, Affiliate Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences Po) and President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). He was adviser to the former President of the European Commission and the former President of the European Council.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction    Declaration of IntentPART ONE. Extracts from a Diary on the European Journey1 When Everything Seemed Possible2 Learning from Crises3 The Ability to Surprise4 When the Facts ChangePART TWO: Main Challenges and Choices5 How Many Presidents and Crises for the Euro?6 ‘That’s Your Bloody GDP, Not Ours’7 Digital Laggard and Green Pioneer8 Defending Common Interests – Against Whom?9 Delivering the Goods: Elites and Democracy10 Who Needs Europe, and What For?Notes

‘A vision of the EU's future based on lucid analysis without concessions but all imbued with a strong belief in the European project. This is the approach of one of the best experts on the Union, Loukas Tsoukalis, an engaged spectator. War and climate are creating a new world. The EU must be given the means to preserve and deepen its unique model. We are too dependent on others today to play a full geopolitical role. The EU must protect people better and make them stronger. We need more democracy and more leadership. I wholeheartedly agree with all these messages.’Herman van Rompuy, Emeritus President of the European Council‘There are two reasons why this book is a masterpiece. The first is that no scholar can, better than Loukas Tsoukalis, make sense of the complex intertwining between European and national debates. The second is that a deep understanding of these debates requires both economic and political culture. Experience and depth are called for, and he has both.’Jean Pisani-Ferry, Sciences Po, Paris / EUI, Florence / Bruegel, Brussels / PIIE, Washington DC‘This book is the story of a lifelong love affair. Loukas Tsoukalis is not unaware of how far from perfection is the object of his affections – the EU. But he does show how and why its creation and subsequent development have been not only essential, but also successful. It is a pity that so many in the UK fail to understand these great truths.’Martin Wolf, Financial Times‘One of the most knowledgeable people about, and clearest writers on, the European Union sets out, in characteristically forthright and highly readable fashion, the challenges facing the Union, and how it should best respond to them. A must read for anyone who claims to be informed about the EU.’Anand Menon, King’s College London, Director of UK in a Changing Europe‘Loukas' book is a brilliant reminder of all that a united Europe still must do. Every informed pro-European should read it.’The Progressive Post'Loukas Tsoukalis’s latest book assembles together the analyses, observations and personal experiences of a European citizen who has minutely researched European construction… Tsoukalis offers a gripping read which holds the reader’s interest page after page… remarkable pedagogical quality, excellent writing, the sharing of personal experiences and a rigour which does not sacrifice humour. Scholars of Europe will read this book with delight, while students will come to see it as a definitive text which clarifies and illuminates the obscurities of a political system which emerged through an unplanned process of incremental sedimentation'Revue française de science politique, Yves Mény, Emeritus President, European University Institute, Florence‘Traversing issues from migration and economic crises to Brexit and the war in Ukraine, Tsoukalis’s rich analysis will be of interest to anyone concerned with Europe’s history and future.'LSE Review of Books‘Tsoukalis has a gift for summarizing complex economic issues for the general reader, and he is clear about the problems that he sees ahead'Mark Mazower, The Nation“Europe’s Coming of Age is a well-written book, presenting an insightful overview of the challenges facing Europe today, and will be particularly engaging for non-academics interested in European politics.”Journal of Common Market Studies