Dr. Adriaan Schout draws attention to the rather problematic attempts of the European Union and the European Commission to solve the EU financial crisis. In his opinion it is questionable whether the “Federal European Agenda”, the need for a bigger European budget and for more political power for the EU, is likely to be effective in solving the current economic and fiscal crisis of the EU. Dr. Schout explains how crucial national institutions are for the process of successful EU integration and that little has been done so far to effectively engage national stakeholders.