A political union is the only step forward, if Europe is to count on world level. We see the US dollar going down the drain, due to its' economic and social policy, and if you don't want the yuan as the next world currency, Europe should reinforce it's common currency, level its' fiscal policy, introduce a common language and so on.
But for that, the europeans should put aside their national narrow viewpoints and see the advantages of it. Instead of that, we see more and more segregation movements and tendencies, wrong steps in dealing with crises, and critics all around.
EU started as a coaltion for coal and steel, then became a community, then a union,
but Fiscal union puts a bomb in a basic arguement from the times of coaltiton,
the self command and autonomy of each state,
and a second is cases like LuxLeaks, taxation of BIG CORPORATIONS, which can gather rich in certain areas,
Europe is facing the 'ghost' of a possibly future creation.
the difference among Old and new world is that in Europe we are Europeans cause we are Deutsch Italians Polish Portoguese,
in USA except Dixiland (South) they are all primary USAers and then Californians or NYers etc
and that is a big problem, cause, for example, a Dutch policy for a subject lets say enviroment, can be hazzardous for an Austrian, or the policy of Italy for immigrations can hazzard Poland (I repeat as an example)
a Good example is the Cypriot sea and gass and oil deposits,
EU has not a policy, leaving Cyprus to make a stronger alliance with Israel and Egypt which are away from EU, and did not protect Cyprus inclusive zone from Turkey's searches,
in USA something like that would be an act of war. for example china to search the Alaska exclusive interest zone.
EU is about to collapse, or to overpass, her self, this decade is critical,