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Brexit is just about to happen, in a most uncoordinated and painful way, even while many people in the UK are still hoping for a second referendum or a delay to the departure date in order to avoid the worst. Leaving Europe seems, in the real world of politics, to be almost impossible, so strong are the ties that bind us (or – in the eyes of those who feel that the EU is a monster, and who think that independence is the solution – the strings attached).

But perhaps there is a third option? A totally reformed political Europe that gives the Brexiters back the sovereignty over decision-making that they yearn for, and the Remainers the open, liberal economic space they want to stay in?

‘Why Europe should become a Republic. A political Utopia’ sketches out this third option. It paves the way for a completely new way of thinking about Europe at a time when Europe needs it most and when many are already talking about an entirely new entity. The EU badly needs profound institutional change to reconnect with its citizens.

Forget everything you’ve ever heard about the EU. This book is not about a Brussels bureaucracy, or cucumber regulations, or a European superstate. In the best traditions of Thomas More’s great work ‘Utopia’, it is about applying everything dear to us in our national democracies – the separation of powers, the principle of political equality and the sovereignty of the people – to a political entity called Europe. In short: it takes the best of English political thought – from the Putney Debates to Thomas Hobbes to John Locke – and applies it Europe.

It is about putting the autochthonous regions in England and beyond – Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – in the driving seat of European decision-making, whilst respecting their cultural differences and identity. And it is about giving Europe back to the people, because the Republic is about them and respecting their interests.

Is this doomed to remain a Utopia? Perhaps not. The German edition of this book became a bestseller, and many political parties have been inspired by the political framing of Europe as a republic, and have integrated the idea into their party programmes. So have many European regions and city councils, and many European citizens. Europe as a republic is precisely about putting citizens back in control of what is happening, and about making Europe democratic by applying the principle of political equality to all citizens, which is the necessary condition for each and every democracy, across Europe.

Does this brief introduction trigger a passion to read on? The European Republic is a smart, tech-savvy, decentralized, sustainable, digitalized, open, tolerant and liberal Europe that pursues the common good, where solidarity is written with a capital S; it is a network of town halls rather than a centralized body, where Europe can evolve into what it always wanted to be: unity in diversity; a place where everybody wants to live! To find it, read on; and then join us on www.eudemlab.org. We are a group that is growing bigger every day, working hard to make that dream of Europe a reality.

If we work on it together, it need not remain a utopia: the European Republic is under construction!

Ulrike Guérot