Enough pressure for EU-reforms ?

No crisis seems to be big enough to hamper the european integration. The glue in the EU-construction is strong and the political majorities follow gladly the leading star of an ever closer union. Perhaps this development will continue. Someone says that it is impossible to change the EU-system. But resistance may now be so great that reforms are preferable to possible destruction.

Euro and migration crisis, democratic deficit and lack of trust have strengthened nationalism and the desire for a Europe with real subsidiarity. This development is expressed in many ways, including

Eurosceptic gains in national elections.
Poland's eurosceptic opposition conservatives, the Law and Justice party (PiS), won the general election in October this year. In Switzerland (which is not a EU member, but affects the European political temperature) a general election the same month became a triumph for the eurosceptic Swiss Peoples Party. Last Sunday Front National won the opening round in France´s regional elections. 

National referendums oppose EU politics.
A majority of Swiss voters backed a referendum proposal to bring back strict quotas for immigration from EU countries in february 2014. According to EurActiv the bid to seal an agreement between Bern and Brussels has been stalled by EU member Britain's similar demand to limit immigration from within the EU, making it hard for the EU to offer a preferential deal for Switzerland before it has settled matters with Britain. Switzerland has now threatened to impose unilateral curbs on immigration should it fail to agree with the European Union on limiting the influx into a country where nearly a quarter of the population is foreign. Earlier in December the Danes rejected  to abandon their opt-outs from EU home affairs legislation and adopt EU-rules for cross-border policing.

Lawsuits from member countries against EU.
Slovakia has just filed a lawsuit at the European Court of Justice against an EU decision to redistribute 120 000 asylum seekers among the member countries, the first legal challenge to a measure that has divided the bloc. Also Hungary has said it has filed an equivalent lawsuit.

Remain/leave referendum in UK.
Based on a renegotiation of the British EU membership, there will be a remain/leave referendum in UK by the end of 2017.

Eeach of these developments are important and toghether they represent great pressure for EU reforms. But will it be enough ? Not necessarily, but the UK´s renegotiation and referendum might be a game changer in history of EU-reforms. The next blogpost will have a closer look at the renegotiation.