The European Union's crisis and its impact on the social integration of Europe

Since 2008, the European Union has been affected by one of the most severe crises in the history of Europe. We argue that the crisis can only be overcome if the citizens of Europe regard themselves as members of a socially integrated European unit. In line with Habermas, we argue that granting equal rights to all European citizens is the central mechanism for achieving European social integration, i.e. the institutionalisation of a European citizenship status.