The past 12 months have been a period of unprecedented difficulty for the European Union but the ongoing crisis looks likely to spur EU leaders into making another substantial leap towards ever closer union. The crisis has underlined the need for a strong political union to accompany a sustainable economic and monetary union with the euro at its heart. EPP TV's annual summer review looks back over the past year to highlight the major policy developments within the European Parliament – and to show how the EPP Group, as Europe's largest and most influential political force, remains at the centre of EU decision-making.