For decades the idea of European integration was conceived as a positive framework for establishing a lasting peace among former enemies, fostering cultural exchange, and contributing to rising standards of living in countries that had been shattered by the Second World War. Few were concerned with the potential shortcomings and instabilities of the movement toward an "ever closer union." Since the manifestation of  financial, economic and political crisis starting in 2007, however, this vision has been subject to erosion. With a stagnating economy, multiple ad-hoc government changes, and widening income gaps, the voices of anti-neoliberal critique from the left, Euroscepticism, and right-wing nationalism have all gained currency. Now the European project seems more contested than ever, and its future is vague. This panel seeks to provide insights on the current situation. A multi-disciplinary approach highlights aspects of European integration, such as the financialization of the European economies; the design of the economic and monetary union including questions of access, exit and expulsion; the EMU’s potentially destabilizing effects on inequality; and the impact of severe levels of sovereign debt. With researchers from different academic and thematic backgrounds, the panel offers an opportunity to reflect on present challenges in a theoretically and methodologically diverse way. The contributions focus on general structural trajectories, institutional features, and specific single cases, such as that of Greece.