Multi-speed Europe

Multi-speed Europe or two-speed Europe is the idea that different parts of the European Union should integrate at different levels and pace depending on the political situation in each individual country. Indeed, multi-speed Europe is currently a reality, with only a subset of EU countries being members of the Eurozone and of the Schengen Area. Differentiated integration has long constituted a structural feature of the European Union’s development. Historically, the EU has employed multiple modalities of flexible participation across diverse policy domains. Crucially, differentiated integration should not be understood solely as an internal organizational matter: the institutional configuration of the Union and the dynamics among its member states directly influence the EU’s capacity and behavior as an external actor. Consequently, various forms of differentiation manifest not only within the EU’s internal governance but also across its external policies and international engagements. Multi-speed Europe arguably aims to salvage the "widening and deepening of the European Union" in the face of political opposition.