Abstract
Slippery Slope: Europe’s Troubled Future is a timely contribution to the debate surrounding the future of the European Union (EU). Published in May 2016, Merritt’s expert analysis rings even more true for a continent now grappling with the ramifications of Brexit, Trump, and the rise of populism. Slippery Slope is a clarion call to European citizens: the EU needs to implement dramatic reforms or it will find itself increasingly economically and politically marginalised in a rapidly changing world. Merritt uses the first chapter of Slippery Slope to dispel 10 persistent myths about the EU and the second to paint a picture of the world in 2050 that illustrates the tenuous situation Europe will find itself in without bold reforms. The core of the book examines key topics for Europe’s future, from skills shortages to Brussels’ perceived lack of legitimacy. Finally, Merritt outlines 10 policy prescriptions to help ensure Europe’s future. Aimed at a general audience, Merritt’s accessible language breaks through EU jargon to provide a realistic assessment of the serious challenges facing the EU.
Slippery Slope is eminently readable and succeeds in its mission of clearly articulating the severity of the problems facing the EU and the measures necessary to counteract Europe’s decline. Effortlessly weaving together commentary, statistics, and interviews with top Eurocrats he knows from his 40 years as a journalist in Brussels, Merritt presents a book both grounded in facts and easily comprehensible for the average reader. Slippery Slope covers virtually every major issue currently facing the EU in depth. One weak point in this structure is that some themes surface in multiple chapters throughout the book, such as shrinking and ageing workforces, immigration, the lack of a true single market, and power imbalances between the European institutions. This does not necessarily take away from the work but rather reinforces how crucial these issues are. Merritt is clear in his belief that the only long-term solution to securing Europe’s place in a changing global order is full political union. The most important contribution is his ‘to do list’ of practical and achievable policy measures, which will require political courage and immense change from European leaders. Readers interested in an unvarnished evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of the European project and the tremendous challenges facing the EU from a self-described ‘sceptical Europhile’ would do well to pick up Slippery Slope.