European Institutions’ Future Scenarios for the Post-Brexit Era

Abstract

The results of the 2016 referendum on European Union created a new political situation not only in the United Kingdom, but also in the EU. This was the very first time in the history of the European integration when a Member State decided to leave the European cooperation. This article describes various responses to this challenging situation and gives an overview of the recent development in the debate about Europe’s future. It is supposed in the hypothesis that European institutions’ positions have been determined by their own logic. Hence, the European Commission upholds the idea of an ever closer union, while Member States and the Council favour a more intergovernmental approach to future cooperation. However, documents from the period show signifi cant convergence among various scenarios represented by Member States and European institutions. Despite the harsh debates on the future of the European project, this convergence indicates a growing consensus among actors of European politics.