Reversed integration - mission impossible ?

Some days ago Per Edgar Kokkvold had a comment in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten about the consequences of the European elections. There he wondered how the elites would react. Will they point to the the fact that a big majority in the parliament still want to continue the march of integration, or acknowledge the increasing resistance ? Kokkvold says it would be unwise to dismiss the opposition as extremists and political loons. He argues that the European union now should take a step back, and he thinks it will do that.

Many circumstances support such a prediction. More sceptics in the parliament will influence the politics. How much depends among other things of their ability to cooperate, but the requirement for change will be delivered by a larger chorus. And they have many good arguments which the integrationists have problems to refute (polls showed that UKIPs Nigel Farage won each of the two televised European elections debates with Liberal Democrat and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg). There is eurosceptisism also within the mainstream parties, and after the elections some mainstream politicians  have been eager to highlight the importance of the national level (e.g. Hollande in France). The effects of the euro crisis and migration fuel the dissatification, and the unions goals for growth and employment have proved to be over ambitious.

But the europhiles still have a majority in the parliament. And of course they will use it. The calls for a more modest EU from some main stream politicians are probably platitudes to reduce the appeal of eurosceptic parties.The EU have for several years been committed to the subsidiarity and proportionality principles. However, these principles have not slowed the integration much if anything at all. In the Brussels bubble it is very easy to conclude that almost everything needs a solution at the supranational level. There have also been statements from Barroso and other leaders about the need for a EU that is big on big things and smaller on small things.The next big thing now is a more integrated eurozone to cope with the euro crisis. And the reactions to Mr. Cameron`s reform agenda from Angela Merkel, Wolfgang Schäuble and Vivianne Redding are either lukewarm or negative.

So it is very difficult to predict the development. But somehow, sooner or later, the people in the member states will reject ceding of powers to a supranational level which not deliver and where democracy does not function.