The aim of the article is to identify the causes of the growing problems in the implementation of the coherent development of the European Union. The context analysis has been embedded in divergent visions of development of individual member states and the EU. Key considerations are the context of action taken at the EU institutions in relation to the member states and created economic organization. The article is an attempt to identify opportunities for involvement in the development of the EU economy as a science socially useful. Literature studies combined with the observation leads to the conclusion that the controversy arising around the EU worsen in recent times. This process is dangerous because it can lead to the transformation of integration into a block of conflicting interests.