Wave of crises puts European dream at risk

Brussels

The EU's founding father Jean Monnet wrote in his memoirs that "Europe will be forged in crises" - but a recent storm of troubles risks tearing the continent apart instead of bringing it together.

From a flood of refugees, to the near-collapse of the euro and the war in Ukraine, the continent's divided leaders have struggled to deal with wave after wave of problems that strike at the heart of the European dream.

If they fail to bridge their differences, the principles forged in a bid to build a new Europe from the ashes of World War II are in jeopardy, officials and analysts warned.

"This is now threatening the heart of Europe and the core of the European project," Guy Verhofstadt, the former prime minister of Belgium who now leads the Liberal group in the European Parliament, told AFP. The refugee crisis is "deeper tha…