The European project is a complicated and ambitious endeavor, the viability of which depends on constant care and adjustment. Unless Europeans recognize that the Union is not a given, and acknowledge the value of the prosperity and security that it provides, the recent election may come to be seen not as a wake-up call, but as a swan song for the integration project.
欧洲需要的是严肃的争论，而不是感情用事。问题在于欧盟委员会和欧洲议会一直不能发出强有力的声音，这让普通欧洲人无法认同欧盟的价值。更糟糕的是，国家和欧洲领导人放任——甚至鼓励——公民相信一体化是不可避免的，从而降低了欧洲选举的重要性。