2010年是欧盟经济深度衰退后的第一年正增长，国内生产总值增长率达到1.8%。2011年第一季度强劲增长，此后受高石油价格、全球增长不振和欧洲主权债务危机等不利因素影响，增长逐渐减速，下半年甚至陷入复苏停顿状态，预计欧盟全年经济增长率将降为1.7%。欧洲主权债务危机爆发一年多来对欧洲经济形势产生不利影响并成为全球关注的重大问题，欧盟实施的应对措施是短期救助与中长期经济改革并重，危机的解决必然是一个相对较长时间的过程。
One of the prominent phenomena in European politics in 2011 is the rapid rise of the extreme right-wing parties, impinging greatly on the party structure in Europe and the domestic policies of the European countries. On the other hand, the slow response of the EU to the debt crisis is due partly to the domestic politics in some member countries and partly to the moderate political will of the EU member states to jointly tackle the crisis. However, the crisis also gives birth to a possible breakthrough in the EU's fiscal integration.
