Professor Imelda Maher:

That is a significant question. The EU is often compared to a bicycle as it has to keep going or it will fall over. I dislike this analogy as it suggests it is more fragile than it really is. The EU is a more robust organisation than it is given credit for. That does not mean it cannot change and, as the Chairman has said, it has changed radically.

I note the Chairman's reference to the founding fathers. They wanted a European political community but they failed to get it as they could not get it past the French. Instead they ended up with the European Economic Community. The EEC was a compromise at the time but we now see it as a success and often the compromises we have to make are an indicator of success, especially so in the context of so many member states having to work together.