The Trouble With Europe

'I recommend our diplomats and ministers read this book: it will provide them with an intellectual backbone. On the big calls [Bootle] has a spectacularly good record.' - The Sunday Times

'Bootle is right on every count.' - The Guardian

Europe is facing an existential challenge - with a spiralling political, economic and security crisis, amidst geopolitical fracturing on a global scale. The threats facing Europe could hardly be more serious as we live through the most dangerous time in decades. Political turmoil in France and Germany - two of Europe's largest economies - have only heightened Europe's economic problems in the face of intensifying competition with the US, and the volatility of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Against this backdrop, The Trouble with Europe delivers a timely, extensive assessment of where Europe stands - and where it may be heading next.

In this newly updated edition, leading economist and Telegraph columnist Roger Bootle, who has long maintained that the EU isn't working, argues that it must reform if it is to thrive. Published to mark ten years since the UK's Brexit referendum, the book provides a clear-eyed evaluation of Brexit's gains and losses, asking why the benefits have fallen short of expectations and where real opportunities still lie.

Bootle combines sharp economic analysis with political insight, examining the EU's history, purpose and structural flaws. He explores the future of the Euro, the economic pressures facing member states, and the growing tensions between national sovereignty and deeper integration as many European leaders are being forced to choose between climate, economic and foreign policy goals. With coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war and its implications for the EU, and the tensions in Poland and Hungary, this edition brings the debate fully up to date.

Crucially, the book looks forward. Can the EU reform itself? Is 'more Europe' the answer? What are the consequences of an EU break up? And could a looser, concentric-circle model offer a new path, including a role for the UK?

Provocative, authoritative and essential reading, The Trouble with Europe is indispensable for anyone who wants to understand Europe's future - and Britain's place within it.