Sailing through Troubled Waters and towards ‘Someplace …’

A Year like no Other: Hope out of Despair?

“…When we took over the editorship of the Annual Review in 2018, we reflected on the institutional and political challenges facing the EU (Exadaktylos et al ., 2018). Over the last three years we have explored the way the EU and its member states adapted to manage the unfolding of multiple and overlapping crises (Exadaktylos et al ., 2019, 2020). However, we did not anticipate that the EU – likewise all the other political systems – would have to face such a dramatic crisis as the one triggered by the Covid‐19 global pandemic.…”

Calm before the Storm? 2019 in Perspective

“…At the end of our 2018 Annual Review editorial we reflected on a tough year for the EU, arguing that it was sailing through troubled waters into an unknown direction (Exadaktylos et al, 2019). The waves of populism and right-wing extremism were sweeping across Europe, the negotiations around Brexit were a political drama not only at the European but also at the British level, and EU leaders were looking to re-infuse trust in the euro, EU institutions and community processes and breathe new life into the vision of integration.…”