E.U. Is Turning 60 and Searching for Something to Celebrate

Press quote (The New York Times)
Simon Tilford
24 March 2017
From 
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/world/europe/eu-is-turning-60-and-searching-for-something-to-celebrate.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2F%E2%80%98Brexit%E2%80%99:%20Britain%E2%80%99s%20Decision%20to%20Leave%20the%20E.U.&_r=1

Both Mr. Stefanini and Simon Tilford, the deputy director of the Center for European Reform, are struck by the complacency in Brussels, with rhetoric about the possibility of a multitier Europe lagging far behind the reality of division and competition.

“In Brussels, they see a couple of quarters of economic growth as a sign that everything is well,” Mr. Tilford said. “The first sign of relative improvement is an excuse to sound defensive and complacent.”

“But can you return some powers to member states without abandoning the core project?” Mr. Tilford asked. “Can European identity be reconciled with large amounts of migration?”