I propose to discuss below some of the broader issues linked to the Union's main agenda. They will be grouped under three headings, namely globalization, equity and legitimacy. They are all highly political issues usually camouflaged in official documents under a technocratic cloak. The emergence of a stronger and larger EU very much depends on how these issues are tackled. They are, of course, highly political issues, despite the fact that the specific parts are mostly of an economic nature. This should be hardly surprising. Who says that high politics can be divorced from economics in our societies?--I. Introduction
--II. Globalization and the European Model
--III. Equity and Redistribution
--IV. The Legitimacy Deficit
--V. Conclusion
--Bibliography
--Biographical Not
