In his latest publication, released on 17 February, the former President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Philippe Maystadt, ponders the future of the EU. Maystadt is rather in the ranks of the optimists, and poses as a question what Europessimists regard as a fact: ‘Europe: The lost continent?’ First, Maystadt points out the reasons to worry. Then he tries to identify Europe’s assets. Lastly, he outlines the economic strategies that would help Europe to overcome the crisis; the biggest challenge in his eyes being to manage to give the Union new “momentum”. In Maystadt’s mind, “the coming decade will be crucial because we are at a turning point of our history”.

‘Europe: le continent perdu?’, by Philippe Maystadt, Publisher: Avant-Propos, Waterloo, 2012, pp 171, €18,95, www.avantpropos.eu