ABSTRACT
Europe today is going through a deepening economic downturn, one experienced by European society as a whole and to various degrees by each of the Member States. Since 2008 the impact of this economic crisis has become a central theme in the public political discourse for policy analysts, the media, experts and observers. The resulting Eurozone crisis features regularly on the front pages of national newspapers across Europe and much has been written about its intensity and its relevance to the political and social crisis which followed as a consequence. Criticism has been voiced about the democratic processes of decision-making, about the relevance of social dialogue, about the role of national politicians in dealing with the negative trends that the crisis has promoted and as the above quote suggests, about longer term policies. At the same time migration policies and inter-European mobility have become a paramount issue within the Member States, giving rise to xenophobia, racism and hostility to the further expansion of the European Union. In this context the European motto United in our diversity, which refers to the diversity of Member States and the unity within the framework of shared values, has been contested, as it is precisely this increasing diversity and difference that is now central to many of the debates within Europe, especially on the issue of migration and integration, particularly from right wing politicians and parts of the press. It can be argued that the Jeremy Rifkin’s European dream of a Europe that would open up new opportunities and new possibilities at the forefront of the international arena is far from real in the current climate (Rifkin, 2004).
