ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that strictly rationalist arguments are insufficient to carry the euro-area or the Economic and monetary union through times of crisis. It discusses principles other than utility which could serve as the basis for a more resilient “guarded and conditional trust”, in particular “responsible responsiveness”. The chapter explores the way in which the crisis has laid bare the need to justify the creation and development of the Union in non-rationalist terms which, at the same time, would not clash with the equally fundamental need of the Union to prove its effectiveness in solving common problems and furthering mutually compatible interests. In terms of the current crisis management, responsibility means proposing and adopting policies that do not arbitrarily interfere with the citizens of any other member state, even by appealing to apparently unassailable values such as balanced budgets and stability measures.
