European leaders always understood that economic union needs to have a political leg to stand on. Even though some, such as the British, wished to give the Union as little power as possible, the force of the argument was with those who pressed for political integration alongside economic integration.
而欧盟所面临的困难在于，在类似过程尚未完成之前，全球金融危机就袭击了欧洲。 欧洲领导人一直非常清楚，经济联盟需要相应的政治制度才能加以支撑。 尽管以英国为代表的某些国家希望尽可能限制欧盟的权力，但在经济一体化的同时推进政治一体化才是欧盟国家的主流。 即使如此，欧洲的政治一体化较之经济一体化进程仍然远远落后。