Juncker admits migration crisis may leave 'lasting wounds' in EU project

BRUSSELS’ chief eurocrat Jean-Claude Juncker has spelled out a shaky future for the European Union, warning the bloc is at its most “fragile” amid a growing list of crisis.
The EU has been faced by an ever-growing number of contentious issues which threaten to drive a wedge between member states as leaders squabble over potential solutions to the problem.

Migration, Eurozone reform and Brexit are just three of the issues faced by Brussels as it moves closer to the end of Mr Juncker’s tenure as European Commission President. In an address at a cultural conference in the Belgian capital, the EU’s most senior official warned “cracks in solidarity could leave lasting wounds” in the relationship between member states.

Mr Juncker said: “As I speak to you, the fragility of the European Union is increasing – cracks are growing in size, we need to find a consistent response now to the migration crisis, for example. Very often, I say these cracks in solidarity, which often leave lasting wounds, are due to the fact we don’t know enough about each other.”

The Commission President added young Europeans should be encouraged to travel to stop the spread of “stupidity and national selfishness”. Member states have been at loggerheads while trying to reach a Continent-wide solution on a potential migration crisis.