Experienced observers remind us that crises, rather than vision, have tended to drive progress at critical stages of Europe’s historic integration – a multi-decade journey driven by the desire to ensure long-term peace and prosperity in what previously had been one of the world’s most violent regions and the site of appalling human suffering. After all, the European Union (including the eurozone’s 17 members) remains a collective of nation-states with notable divergences in economic, financial, and social conditions.
有经验的观察家提醒我们，危机，而不是愿景，更能在欧洲历史性一体化的关节阶段推动进步。欧洲一体化是一个几十年的历程，其背后的推动力是对确保在这个曾经是全世界最暴力地区、饱受可怕人道灾难摧残的地区实现长期和平与繁荣的渴望。毕竟，欧盟（包括由17个成员国组成的欧元区）仍只是国家的组合，各国在经济、金融和社会条件诸方面存在巨大差异。文化差异也持久存在着。政治周期也远称不上同步。而太多的地区治理机制（欧洲央行是一个显著的例外）缺乏足够的影响力和信誉，从而效率低下。