Interview for CNN by Dr. James Downes Department of Government and Public Administration - CUHK

An interview for an article published by CNN on Developments in European Politics on 15 February 2020 by Dr. James Downes.

 

The title: "The EU is facing a serious crisis. It's funding the same people who wish to wreck it”

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/15/europe/europes-populist-nightmare-is-far-from-over-intl/index.html 

 

A short excerpt can be found here of the piece:

"The biggest threat to the EU is not far-right parties gaining in strength; the biggest threat to the EU is where pro-EU politicians become more Euroskeptic, due to lack of reforms over the EU's key institutions," says James F. Downes, a researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Without addressing "the democratic deficit in the EU Parliament and the technocratic nature of the European Commission," European reform could lead to less integration, as European populations tire Brussels. Downes adds, "this would lead to a more scaled-back economic version of the EU project and the political project of the EU becoming obsolete in the longer-term."