This volume is the fourth instalment of the "Report on the State of the European Union" collection. It proposes that if the EU does not want to be ruled by crisis any longer, it must invest in a sustainable, political, economic, social and environmental future.In the now half century of European integration, testifying to its talent for survival, progress has often been made through crises. Political Europe was actually born out of a "crisis": World War II. The main argument of this book is that if Europe does not want to be ruled by crisis any longer, it must turn this elusive and ever-threatening "crisis" into a chosen and meaningful transition. Specific chapters examine issues of democracy and economic governance, tax, budget and public debt, inequality between and within European countries and energy and environmental issues.This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the European Union, making it essential reading for students, researchers, professionals and policy-makers. [Publisher's abstract]