The EU is at present facing multiple crises among which exist several correlations：the Ukrainian crisis，the European debt crisis，the refugee crisis，the crisis of violent terrorism and the crisis of the British referendum on withdrawing from the EU. Of all these crises，the refugee crisis is most important，because it is in essence a moral test concerning the survival of the Schengen system. Germany，realizing that as the EU’s leading power it was the only country that had the capacity as well as the intention to avoid a humanitarian disaster，acted unilaterally. The joint “European solution” that Chancellor Merkel has promoted has however not been fully supported by other countries. Several EU countries resisted a mandatory distribution quota for refugees that had been proposed by the Commission at the behest of Germany，thus making it impossible for Germany to carry out its plan. In addition，with the ascent of the Alternative für Deutschland（AfD），Germany’s new right-wing populist party，the leadership of Merkel’s government in the European Union will be further constrained. Therefore，the EU can at present only engage in minor repairs and damage control. The next prospect for improvement will not present itself before the end of 2017，when Britain will have made its choice in the referendum and France and Germany will have completed the succession of their respective governments.