Brussels — The idea of a so-called multispeed EU is not new, and some might argue that it already describes the bloc in its current form. But as 27 EU leaders without Britain discuss their post-Brexit future, the concept has come to dominate debate on what the union should look like. The central idea of a multispeed Europe is that some member states may choose to go faster, or slower, with European integration than others on certain policies and topics. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made this one of five possible scenarios for the future of the EU in a white paper earlier this month. Debate has heated up over the idea with national leaders divided between firm backers, including Germany and France, and less powerful members, particularly in the East, that are bitterly opposed. Ironically, today’s EU is already very much a multispeed Europe. Some of the EU’s most far-reaching policies are limited to smaller groups of member states, notably the euro single currency...
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