Juncker is not a person who could decide on the future EU. His white paper is little but a starting shot that he had to fire so that the big players deciding on Europe can start publicly negotiating a new structure for the bloc.

In Paris, where Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande yesterday met the prime ministers of Spain and Italy, this is exactly what happened; the hour of multi-speed Europe has begun.

The Europe of multiple Europes, the inevitable consequence of the multiple speeds, is now a given.

At a time when the aged union should get a new sense of purpose and a modern vision acceptable to all 27 members, unproductive fighting for chairs at the table are starting.

This will only serve to further split the union, the paper says in The Start of (Dis)integration.