European integration in the aftermath of World War II started to counteract war and protectionism. We saw the timid beginnings with coal and steel, the defeat of the ambitious plan to pool defense, the establishment of a common market, and the building of ever more complex and ambitious supranational institutions—eventually including monetary union. We discussed the serious problems with the expectation that this would necessarily be a chain reaction towards ever closer political integration. Now, it is time to offer a few final comments on the sources of strengths of the European integration project