The European Union has been in limbo for much of the last two years. The impressive unity since the Brexit vote of the 27 member states other than Britain has been achieved in large part by ducking difficult decisions about the bloc’s long-term future. Crucial questions relating to the legacy of the various crises that have hit the EU over the past decade have been left unaddressed.
One challenge that can be ducked no longer is the need to agree on a new long-term budget. The €1.3 trillion ($1.5 trillion) budget proposal announced...