Europe according to the Founding Fathers and contemporary problems of European integration

Objectives The subject of the article is the evolution of European integration in the light of the original ideas of the EU Founding Fathers in the face of contemporary socio-economic and technological transformations. The objective is to assess the relevance of the vision of “unity in diversity” in the era of the digital society and global crises. Material and methods The study employs the dogmatic-legal method (analysis of selected EU legal acts and CJEU case law), source analysis of historical and contemporary documents, and a comparative approach with regard Results The analysis indicates that the contemporary dynamics of integration significantly diverge from the decentralised vision of a confederation of sovereign states. Top-down institutional polarisation and the digital redefinition of social ties generate a risk of internal tensions, weakening the existing public order. Conclusions In the discussion section, a proposal to revise the current political course of the EU is formulated as a de lege ferenda recommendation, distinct from the analytical findings. According to the author, maintaining peace and competitiveness requires moving away from centralist tendencies and the concept of a superstate in favour of respect for the cultural autonomy and legal sovereignty of nations.