The european union worked well as a free trade zone...the common currency known as the euro was doomed from the start. Now it is time to pay the piper.
Yes, it did, but it was free trade with significant exceptions restricted to other European countries that agreed to the significant exceptions. The Euros have always tried to rig the game.
Imagine if they just gave it up and opened their economies to competition. Yeah, I know, I can't, either.