In a system where national prestige has still a political meaning, in the sense that it brings votes, and that political accountability in Europe remains based mainly at national level, it’s not easy to transfer responsibility to a higher level of government. This is a dilemma that Europe, and its Member States, have to face, whether they like it or not.
But it’s better to have this debate out in the open than to fudge it by creating hollow structures. The problem for the EU is that its citizens do not see it as helping to solve their everyday problems. The way to address this challenge is not to choose the middle ground, which would ultimately penalise the European “construction”.