Has the European Experiment Failed?—The Munk Debate on Europe: Ferguson and Joffe vs. Mandelson and Cohn-Bendit

In the sweep of human history, the European Union stands out as one of humankind's most ambitious endeavors. It encompasses half a billion people, twenty-seven member states, twenty-three languages, and an economy valued at over $15 trillion. Modern Europe's stunning achievements aside, its sovereign debt crisis has shaken the world's largest political and economic union to its core. Can the federal institutions and shared values of Europeans meet the challenges of debt crisis that are as much political as economic? Or, are Europe's current woes indicative of a series of deep structural faults that will doom the European Union to breakup and failure?

In this edition of the Munk Debates ? Canada's premier international debate series ? former EU commissioner Lord Peter Mandelson, French-German EU parliament leader of the Greens, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, German Euro skeptic and bestselling author Josef Joffe, and Scottish historian, Niall Ferguson debate one of the most pressing issues of our day: has the great European experiment failed?

This electrifying debate featuring some of Europe's most outspoken parliamentary figures and academics is guaranteed to be an unforgettable and riveting verbal sparring match on the question that will determine the future of world's economy.

Daniel Cohn-Bendit is a French-born German politician. He has been co-president of the group European Greens-European Free Alliance in the European Parliament since 2002. Josef Joffe is publisher of the German weekly Die Zeit and the bestselling author of Uberpower: America's Imperial Temptation. He is senior Fellow of Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
Lord Peter Mandelson was EU Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008 and was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform in 2008. Niall Ferguson is the author of numerous bestselling books. A prolific commentator on contemporary politics and economics, Ferguson is a contributing editor for the Financial Times and senior columnist with Newsweek.