Do you think a EU political union will happen in our lifetimes?

On balance, no.

I'm also a pro-European, at least in comparison to the majority of popular (media?) opinion in the UK. But I think that the EU remains too diverse and the concept of the nation-state too strong for there to be a political union within the next few decades.

There has never been a clear vision of what such a union would look like - only suspicion that it would be governed from "somewhere else" (ie Brussels) or by "other people" (ie shadowy Eurocrats). Nobody has ever presented, in Britain at least, a positive vision of a Europe in which UK representatives were as engaged as anybody else and where British interests were either fully upheld or were fully in line with other EU member states'.

Political union, as we currently understand it, would require, at some point, a single final event of union at the end of a process of dissolving individual nation-states. But the EU, despite its commitment to "ever closer union", has never taken action to dissolve nation states. Instead it has sought to pool or share sovereignty, taking positive measures towards achieving closer alignment of interests rather than negative ones to wipe out particular governments (despite what the Daily Mail wishes us to believe). So it is much more likely that a "pooled sovereignty" model could provide the basis for a future political union.

However, that would require popular understanding of what pooled sovereignty means, popular sympathy for the idea (ie a replacement for national consciousness or a way of being sympathetic to both individual nation and the Union), both extending across the EU. However, since the huge expansion of 2004 there is less and less likelihood that the peoples and nations of the EU could ever arrive at a common understanding and common enthusiasm for proper, full, political union.

Also, you make a good point about "giving up historic national autonomy and identity". History tells us that such identities are not "given up" - it is a rare moment when such identities can be created and they do not fade easily, if at all. There is no common European story around which we can all agree. Even the Second World War, ostensibly the biggest impetus for political union, was experienced differently across Europe - the British view of the war was very different from the French, the Portuguese from the German, the Greek from the Swedish. If even that great founding story doesn't mean the same thing in Sofia as it does in Dublin, how could a popular European identity strong ever be strong enough to allow - let alone support - political union?

First, it is an emotional issue tied up with notions of 'Sovereignty' of a two dozen nations(Counties?).

EU political union has to happen or needs to happen. It is so because the alternative is rather (very) bleak. But if it has to, it will be a long while before the 'cement' sets in, a century or more.There are quite a few factors that don't allow this 'Eurocement' to set. There is no pan-European-ness except expressed in conferences and fora. This in the common consciousness of an average European must be the pre-cursor. It can only be brought about when common Europeans travel to the four corners (particularly Asia, because European-ness hasn't made any 'dent' there unlike in Americas or even in Africa) to discover it and to compare with the indigent there.

They already feel swamped by the onslaught of Islam and its mindset in their midst making them powerless to deal with. This multifarious onslaught has its security angle that freeze the European feet. Yet, Europeans are still to 'feel' the hit on their culture because they don't feel that they are the inheritors of a common culture that is less of Greek and more Central European. Unless Europeans loosen themselves from the apron strings of Greek culture (as if that was the only culture) they can't see them as what they are. This Greek cultural connection has become a craze in America due to the paucity of cultural underpinnings for a transplanted nation. Europe needn't feel the same.

Economy wise they made a great progress though some live in the imperial past of a century ago that has been a chronic, recurring but unnecessary theme. Imperialism and Economy are intertwined but in the absence of the one the other is suffering now, unable to see why the economy is going down hill. This lack of global economic vision (America has it because she cast herself in that global role) is another factor. They must understand that the global economic center of gravity is moving east where the population size, resources, vastness of the land, sophistication in modern things like Science, Engineering and Technology have left Europe behind. Portuguese reminds one of Brazil and not Portugal. There is the popular version of Spanish as spoken in Mexico. Interaction in English is more widespread in India-Pakistan-Bangladesh-SriLanka than in Britain if one goes by sheer numbers. Portugal, Spain and Britain have lost their primacy, thus. The only way to confront this state of affairs is to merge into a bigger entity to stand up against entities of similar size; but not the several entities that measure up to a province or such constituent unit of these countries.

Very good question.

As you probably know, it's all about interests, have you ever asked yourself if all the european countries have the same interest ?

Let's take a short trip back, the EU has been founded around a comon economy dream, yet it succeeded with the birth of the Euro.

BUT during all this long process the EU has always been trying to start something on the political side with 27 countries, many of whom are old US allies (France), old Russia enmies (Poland,..) and politically non interested countries like Germany.

I don't talk about the UK because I don't even consider them as part of the EU (not in the Euro zone).

Now between the polical giants (France, UK), the old Russia enmies and the non interested Germany, If you add to it the financial crisis, I don't see it coming anytime soon..

Good Luck !

If they get every country government deficit spending in line then that will be the first step.

Of course there shouldn't be. There should be liberal intercourse between the European countries, but they shouldn't be one national entity.

I am pro-American

I support a North American Union

dont think , this is going to help out