Hard Eurosceptics Can Never be Convinced of the Case for European Integration - Or Can They?


Book Description

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1.5, College of Europe, Natolin Campus (EU Institutions, Politics and Policies), language: English, abstract: Signed fifty years ago, the Treaty of Rome proclaimed an "ever closer union" by "establishing a common market and progressive approximation of the economic policies of member states" . This approximation had, however, a negative side effect -opposition to market integration, and after the sequence of enlargements - ardent resistance to any further European integration. Moreover, since the Maastricht Treaty, Eurosceptics have exploited a new battleground: 'defence of national community' in response to the erosion of national sovereignty and to the heightened job insecurity caused by market unification and liberalization process. As enlargement process was taking its course, Euroscepticism grew into a potent feature of the political landscape across the EU, by not only shaking confidence in the process of further enlargement, but also 'provoking several attempts to re-theorize the process of European integration' . Thus, for example, 'soft eurosceptics' (definition proposed by Paul Taggart and Aleks Szczerbiak ) opposed to the "EU's current or future planned trajectory based on the future extension of competencies", whereas the main objective of their 'hard counterparts' was "tantamount to being de facto opposed to EU membership" . In this paper we'll try to analyse a phenomenon of hard Euroscepticism in the European Union by presenting Danish and British cases. We'll demonstrate that sometimes hard Eurosceptic parties can be convinced of the case for European integration, despite their ardent anti-EU positions.




The Choice for Europe


Book Description

The creation of the European Union arguably ranks among the most extraordinary achievements in modern world politics. Observers disagree, however, about the reasons why European governments have chosen to co- ordinate core economic policies and surrender sovereign perogatives. This text analyzes the history of the region's movement toward economic and political union. Do these unifying steps demonstrate the pre-eminence of national security concerns, the power of federalist ideals, the skill of political entrepreneurs like Jean Monnet and Jacques Delors, or the triumph of technocratic planning? Moravcsik rejects such views. Economic interdependence has been, he maintains, the primary force compelling these democracies to move in this surprising direction. Politicians rationally pursued national economic advantage through the exploitation of asymmetrical interdependence and the manipulation of institutional commitments.




Politicizing Europe


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Euroscepticisms


Book Description

Euroscepticism has become a political challenge of imposing size. The belief that the EU would continue, inexorably, to increase its responsibilities, its membership, and its credibility with the electorates of Europe seems like a pipedream. Almost every major European country now has a political party (whether of the left or right) that is openly opposed to the EU's institutions and core policies. However, a political phenomenon on this scale did not spring up, mushroom-like, overnight. Sentiments, attitudes and political standpoints against the European Union have deep roots in the national histories of the various member states. This book assembles a group of scholars from across Europe to investigate the long-term origins and causes of Euroscepticism in an apposite range of EU countries.Contributors are: Gabriele D'Ottavio, Kira Gartzou-Katsouyanni, Mark Gilbert, Adéla Gjuričová, Simona Guerra, Thorsten Borring Olesen, Daniele Pasquinucci, Emmanuelle Reungoat, Paul Taggart, Antonio Varsori, and Hans Vollaard.




Europe Without Illusions


Book Description

Co-published with the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, this book offers a critical assessment of European Union developments since 1994. It combines the texts of the five Paul-Henri Spaak lectures given at Harvard University in the 1994-2000 period, and a cogent analysis of the successes and failures of the EU by Professor Andrew Moravcsik, entitled "Europe without Illusions." The European Union is the most successful voluntary international organization in world history. Europe without Illusions explores the paradox that the EU recently completed perhaps the most successful decade of integration in its history, yet it continues to be widely perceived as unstable and undemocratic. The Center for International Affairs was founded in 1958 and was renamed the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs in 1998 in gratitude for the endowment established by Albert and Celia Weatherhead and the Weatherhead Foundation. The Center was created as a means of confronting global problems. The Center is the largest international research center within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It is distinctive in its recognition that knowledge is a product not only of individual academic research, but also of vigorous, sustained intellectual dialogue among scholars and nonacademic experts. To stimulate this dialogue, the Center sponsors a wide array of seminars, research programs, workshops, and conferences.




The Eurosceptic's Handbook


Book Description

The Brexit debate that has taken hold of the country is one of the defining issues of our time. The outcome of the EU referendum in June will have ramifications that will be felt for generations to come. But the discussion is curiously one-sided. The polls show that the British people are fairly evenly split between those who would stay and those who would leave - and very few would give the present arrangement a ringing endorsement. Yet all the resources of government and big business have been thrown behind an information campaign designed to ensure the UK remains a member of the EU at all costs.The Eurosceptic's Handbook tries to help rebalance the debate, and arm those with doubts about the EU with the counter-arguments they need to make an objective judgement. Michael Burrage, whose previous Civitas publications have earned praise for overturning the received wisdom about the EU's supposed trade benefits, here takes a broader look at the pros and cons of EU membership.Standing back from the spin and hyperbole of Project Fear, Burrage surveys the evidence from Britain's involvement with Brussels since it joined the European Economic Community in 1973.He exposes the flaws in the arguments that have been made along the way for Britain's continued membership. He lays bare the costs - financial and democratic - to every UK citizen of sticking with the European project. And he explains why, if Britain votes to leave, it will have nothing to fear - and much to gain.--




The Search for Europe


Book Description

This volume is now the eighth in the annual series sponsored by BBVA as part of its OpenMind initiative, which is devoted to disseminating knowledge on key issues of our time. The Search for Europe analyses the present and future of the old continent and its integration project, surely the most ambitious political and economic integration project ever attempted in history, a benchmark for similar processes in other regions. The book is divided into three main sections: "The economic foundations of the European project", "Europe and its nations: Politics, society and culture", and "The unresolved Limits of Europe and the new global powers". It features pieces written by international experts such as Javier Solana, Barry Eichengreen, Philip Cooke, Bichara Khader, Vivien Ann Schmidt, John Peet and Thomas Christiansen, among others.




How To Stop Brexit (And Make Britain Great Again)


Book Description

*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* Keep calm – but do not carry on. There is nothing remotely inevitable about Brexit – except that it will be deeply damaging if it happens. Extricating Britain from Europe will be the greatest challenge this country has faced since the Second World War. And as negotiations with the EU expose the promises of the Brexit campaign to have been hollow, even some Brexit-voters now wish to exercise their democratic right to change their mind, seeing that the most pragmatic option is to ... stop. It would certainly be the best thing for Britain. But how can it be done? Haven’t the people spoken? No. In this indispensable handbook, Nick Clegg categorically debunks the various myths that have been used to force Brexit on Britain, not by ‘the people’ but by a small, extremely rich, self-serving elite, and explains precisely how this historic mistake can be reversed – and what you can do to make sure that it is.




The Western Balkans and the EU


Book Description

Today, more than fifteen years after the end of the wars that accompanied Yugoslavia's dissolution, the "Balkan question" remains more than ever a "European question". In the eyes of many Europeans in the 1990s, Bosnia was the symbol of a collective failure, while Kosovo later became a catalyst for an emerging Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In the last decade, however, the overall thrust of the EU's Balkans policy has moved from an agenda dominated by security issues related to the war and its legacies to one focused on the perspective of the Western Balkan states' accession to the European Union. This Chaillot Paper, which features contributions from authors from various parts of the region, examines the current state of play in the countries of the Western Balkans with regard to EU accession. It brings together both views from the Balkans states themselves and overarching thematic perspectives. For the first time the European Union has become involved in the formation of new nation-states that also aspire to become members of the Union. The EU's transformative power has proved effective in integrating established states; now it is confronted with the challenge of integrating new and sometimes contested states. Against this background, this paper makes the case for a concerted regional approach to EU enlargement, and a renewed and sustained commitment to the European integration of the Western Balkans.




Brexit and Beyond


Book Description

Brexit will have significant consequences for the country, for Europe, and for global order. And yet much discussion of Brexit in the UK has focused on the causes of the vote and on its consequences for the future of British politics. This volume examines the consequences of Brexit for the future of Europe and the European Union, adopting an explicitly regional and future-oriented perspective missing from many existing analyses. Drawing on the expertise of 28 leading scholars from a range of disciplines, Brexit and Beyond offers various different perspectives on the future of Europe, charting the likely effects of Brexit across a range of areas, including institutional relations, political economy, law and justice, foreign affairs, democratic governance, and the idea of Europe itself. Whilst the contributors offer divergent predictions for the future of Europe after Brexit, they share the same conviction that careful scholarly analysis is in need – now more than ever – if we are to understand what lies ahead for the EU. Praise for Brexit and Beyond 'a wide-ranging and thought-provoking tour through the vagaries of British exit, with the question of Europe’s fate never far from sight...Brexit is a wake-up call for the EU. How it responds is an open question—but respond it must. To better understand its options going forward you should turn to this book, which has also been made free online.' Prospect Magazine 'This book explores wonderfully well the bombshell of Brexit: is it a uniquely British phenomenon or part of a wider, existential crisis for the EU? As the tensions and complexities of the Brexit negotiations come to the fore, the collection of essays by leading scholars will prove a very valuable reference for their depth of analysis, their lucidity, and their outlining of future options.' - Kevin Featherstone, Head of the LSE European Institute, London School of Economics 'Brexit and Beyond is a must read. It moves the ongoing debate about what Brexit actually means to a whole new level. While many scholars to date have examined the reasons for the British decision to leave, the crucial question of what Brexit will mean for the future of the European project is often overlooked. No longer. Brexit and Beyond bundles the perspectives of leading scholars of European integration. By doing so, it provides a much needed scholarly guidepost for our understanding of the significance of Brexit, not only for the United Kingdom, but also for the future of the European continent.' - Catherine E. De Vries, Professor in the department of Government, University of Essex and Professor in the department of Political Science and Public Administration Free University Amsterdam 'Brexit and Beyond provides a fascinating (and comprehensive) analysis on the how and why the UK has found itself on the path to exiting the European Union. The talented cast of academic contributors is drawn from a wide variety of disciplines and areas of expertise and this provides a breadth and depth to the analysis of Brexit that is unrivalled. The volume also provides large amounts of expert-informed speculation on the future of both the EU and UK and which is both stimulating and anxiety-inducing.' -Professor Richard Whitman, Head of School, Professor of Politics and International Relations, Director of the Global Europe Centre, University of Kent