On Wednesday, May 10th, the Faculty of Law at the University of Belgrade hosted a lecture by Professor Jacopo Martire on the topic “Europe’s Crisis: Its Roots and Its Solutions”. The lecture was well-attended by students, professors, and members of the public.

Prof. Martire’s lecture was divided into two parts. In the first part, he analyzed the roots and sources of the crisis in the European Union. He presented the views of four authors, Giandomenico Majone, Wolfgang Streeck, Sergio Fabbrini, and Jürgen Habermas, who all criticized the EU project from their respective perspectives. Prof. Martire looked for common grounds in their views in order to answer one question: what is missing for European self-identification to occur and flourish? He stressed that the implicit problem with all of the proposals given by the aforementioned authors is that they have failed to address why, in almost 70 years of the existence of the EU, the concept of the European People failed to be established.

In the second part of the lecture, Prof. Martire presented proposals for integrating the citizens of the EU. He emphasized the need for more communication and dialogue between citizens and EU institutions, as well as the importance of promoting a sense of shared European identity. That could be achieved in several ways: the liberalization of the free movement of people, giving the right to vote in an EU state of residence and the establishment of a European welfare state.

Overall, Professor Martire’s lecture was a thought-provoking analysis of the current crisis in the EU and provided valuable insights into potential solutions for integrating citizens and promoting a shared European identity. The lecture sparked lively discussion and debate among those in attendance and left the audience with much to consider as they continue to reflect on the future of the European Union.