Error in Utopia v 0.1

Utopia, “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions”, a paradise that cannot exist. A No-place.

Political unity, common currency, economic growth, border-free travel and lasting peace without conflicting interests; those were the main ideas that made the European Union project feel like a dream, a utopia. But can utopia exist outside of the imaginary? Or is it an idea that is doomed to fail from the start?

Is an integrated Europe impossible? Has the European idea been abandoned and compromised? Is Europe becoming dystopian? Did Europe imprison its own future by making impossible demands and by attempting to flee its past?

Within the European Union all members are not equal and they do not always coexist in harmony. The European South is often accused of living beyond their means, dependent of the North, while the Northern European countries are seen as ultra protective of their national wealth and unwilling to distribute the costs and risks of a continental integration. Meanwhile, across the Continent, nationalist parties are gaining traction with promises to insulate their countries from foreign threats such as immigrants, refugees, free trade or the euro.

The fragmentation in the EU is constantly worsening. Some believe the European Idea will finish where it began: in Greece. Since Greece is considered the birthplace of Western culture and the base of the European and Western thinking, isn’t its collapse the collapse of the European foundations?

Is there an error in our society? Is Europe becoming smaller and smaller?