Europe's Experimental Union

The dynamics of European integration is increasingly topical as Europe’s political leaders grapple with the nature and purpose of the EU in the light of recent major developments, such as Euro, enlargement and the Treaty of Amsterdam. This book begins with an analysis of an unsettled Europe and the unsettled nature of scholarly analysis of the EU. Taking the emphasis off integration, the authors focus on changes in the nation state, world and international politics and relate these to the changing union. Europe’s Experimental Union challenges conventional writings on European integration by situating the analysis of the EU in the context of changing patterns of political and economic order. The authors conclude that the union is not evolving towards a federal superstate, but rather, is an arena of deep economic integration governed by a prismatic polity characterised by innovation, experimentation, pragmatism, decentralisation and devolution. Although it may seem unsettled, this book reveals that in fact the experimental nature of the EU enables it to respond to multiple agendas and Europe’s diversity in a flexible manner.

Author Biography

Brigid Laffan, Rory O’ Donnell, Michael Smith