This edited volume, premised on the development and survival of the European integrationist project, tackles some crucial questions which have the potential to affect European Union performance if not addressed properly and in a timely manner. It evaluates the basic understanding and power of European identity as a medium in the overall process, as well as the responses offered by the individual states and supranational elites and their respective publics. Needless to say, economic, political and social aspects are serious enough individually that each can challenge and erode further the often problematic connection between the elites and the public - a connection confirming its full relevance in times of crisis when the future of European unity seems even less certain.