*Shortlisted for 2016 European Book Prize*
A hard-hitting warning for the future of Europe and the EU from one of Europe`s most influential political commentators
Argues that the future is gloomy unless tough and painful action is taken now
A book which should set alarm bells ringing across Europe
Sets out an ambitious but realistic `to do` list for Europe`s leaders if we are to stand a chance of preserving the privileged life-styles to which we have become accustomed
New to this Edition:

In this updated edition, published to mark the Brexit result, Giles Merritt looks ahead, once the shock of the Brexit vote dies down and bitter recriminations subside, focus will be on damage control.
Prelude discussing the results of the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.
Updated final chapter provising an `An Urgent `To Do` List for the post-Brexit EU`.

*Shortlisted for 2016 European Book Prize* Giles Merritt describes himself as a `sceptical europhile`. For many years among the foremost commentators on the politics and economics shaping Europe, he was named by the Financial Times as one of 30 `Eurostars` who are the most influential voices in Brussels.

Slippery Slope is far from the usual run of uncritical EU-related studies. Its aim is to set alarm bells ringing across Europe with its revealing insights into our increasingly troubled future. Giles Merritt argues that the steepness and suddenness of Europe`s decline in the `Asian century` will depend on the actions we Europeans undertake. And there are two key lessons that we need to face from the beginning. Firstly, the `good times` aren`t coming back without a massive effort on our part. And secondly, in a fast-developing world of 9-10 billion people, no single European country can survive and prosper on its own.

Merritt sets out to sort fact from fiction in his analysis of Europe`s weaknesses, and the policies needed to address them. Placing the outlook for Europe in its global context, he assesses Europe`s decline in relative as well as absolute terms, and puts forward an ambitious but realistic `to do` list for Europe`s policymakers if our comparatively privileged life styles are not to be seriously threatened in the coming years.

In the wake of `Brexit;, this is a hard-hitting warning that unless Europeans shake themselves awake their future will be increasingly gloomy. Anyone who believes that the economic crisis that began in 2008 is just a blip will find this book a salutary lesson in the reality of Europe`s position.

Table of Contents

Prelude
1: The myths hastening Europe`s decline
2: The world in 2050: A glimpse into the future
3: Managing the new global economy: Europe`s chance to take centre stage
4: Europe need not fear Asia`s rise
5: For Europe, Africa spells trouble and opportunity
6: The Human Factor: Not enough jobs, but also not enough workers
7: Europe`s stuttering efforts to catch up with the digital revolution
8: Why `Brussels` lacks legitimacy, credibility and even genuine power
9: Searching for an exit from the EU`s political labyrinth
10: Putting some muscle into Europe`s `soft power`
11: Juncker`s curse" - Why EU leaders don`t deliver on their promises
12: An Urgent `To Do` List for the post-Brexit EU
Bibliography
Index

Giles Merritt was named by the Financial Times in 2010 as one of 30 `Eurostars` who most influence thinking on Europe`s future, along with the European Commission`s president and the secretary-general of NATO. For 15 years a Financial Times foreign correspondent, Merritt has reported and commented on European affairs since the early 1970s. He went on to found `Friends of Europe`, one of the leading think tanks in Brussels, and the policy journal Europe`s World, of which he is the Editor-in-Chief. His Op-Ed columns in the International Herald Tribune from 1985-2010, and since then in the hundreds of newspapers around the world that subscribe to Project Syndicate, have ranged widely across political and economic issues in Europe. His previous books include World Out of Work, an award-winning analysis of unemployment issues, and The Challenge of Freedom, on the difficulties facing post-communist Eastern Europe.