The crisis and its effect on disparities in the European Union

Abstract

This text considers the crisis in the context of its impact on development and disparities within structure of the European Union across various levels of its functions. The main objective of this work is to provide answers to the following questions: how many times has the European Union faced the crisis in the past; was the crisis an element that eventually strengthened or weakened the EU integration process; what decisions were made to fight the crisis; and to what extent was the crisis an element that led to disparities within the European Union? One of the goals is also to define the notion of crisis. The primary thesis of this text is a statement that crises, which affected the EU, contributed to differentiations of its policies. This is partially contrary to the concept of the European integration, developed in the 1950s, which assumed that the EU member states need to move forward at the same speed and as part of equal participation in the integration projects. Crises, however, contribute to disparities in the European integration.