Theme and topic The European Union (EU) and its direct predecessors have existed for almost 70 years. After a modest beginning, followed by decades of flourishing and expansion, the last decennium has seen serious signs of decay. The recent history of the EU has been defined by the Eurozone crisis, the refugee crisis and secession (Brexit). Political parties with a sceptical attitude towards the Union as one of the main items on their agendas are flourishing in several Member States and are sometimes even part of national governments. This is not the first crisis the Union has seen – the empty chair crisis of the 1960s is an example of an early crisisand until now the Union has only come out stronger. However, as the saying goes: past performance is no guarantee of future results.