eunion1-7, Exercise 3: Failing forward

Model answer:

"Failing forward" says a crisis arises because governments agreed only a minimal deal, then respond with another minimal deal, which solves part of the problem and leaves a new weakness for the next crisis.

Fits: the euro crisis (each fix followed a scare) or the Covid recovery fund (a response to the pandemic).
Fits less well: Brexit (which reduced the Union) or migration (where the Union has not agreed a lasting settlement).

Evidence that would count against the theory: crises that produced no integration or reduced it, integration that happened without any crisis, or fixes that fully solved the problem. Critics also argue the theory is too neat and makes every outcome look like progress.