The European Union is now at its most critical stage ever. It is facing what European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has called "a disgrace in the 21st century."
The Ukraine crisis has brought the EU's raison d'etre into the spotlight. Van Rompuy condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea as illegal, which underscores the significance of the crisis. The principles of nonaggression and territorial inviolability that underpinned peace in Europe following World War II have all but fallen apart.
Former European Parliament President Pat Cox emphasized the gravity of the situation, saying, "Europe thought it had settled the issue of territorial integrity in the 20th century, but Russia's annexation of Crimea shows it's not the case."