Regional Integration Theory

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Schimmelfennig
Keyword(s):  
European Integration ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Regional Organizations ◽  
Organizational Scope ◽  
National Governments ◽  
The Eu

Regional integration theory seeks to explain the establishment and development of regional international organizations. Key questions are why and under which conditions states decide to transfer political authority to regional organizations; how regional organizations expand their tasks, competencies, and members; and what impact they have on states and societies in their regions. Whereas regional integration theory started with a broad comparative regional and organizational scope in the 1950s and 1960s, it has since focused on European integration and the European Union. The main (families of) theories explaining the development of European integration—rather than decision making and policy making in the EU—are intergovernmentalism, neofunctionalism, and postfunctionalism. The key debates in regional integration theory have taken place between variants of intergovernmentalist and neofunctionalist integration theory. Intergovernmentalism assumes national governments to be the key actors in regional integration. Governments use regional integration to maximize their national security and economic interests in the context of regional interdependence. Integration outcomes result from intergovernmental bargaining and reflect the regional preference and power constellations. Governments delegate authority to regional organizations to secure their bargaining outcomes but remain in control of regional organizations and the integration process. By contrast, neofunctionalism disputes that governments are able to control the integration process. Transnational corporations and interest groups as well as supranational actors are empowered by the integration process and shape it in their own interest. In addition, integration creates a variety of “spillovers” and path-dependencies that push integration beyond the intergovernmental bargain. More recently, postfunctionalism has enriched and challenged the theoretical debate on regional integration. In contrast to neofunctionalism, postfunctionalism assumes a backlash mechanism of integration. As regional integration progresses and undermines national sovereignty and community, it creates economic and cultural losers who are mobilized by integration-skeptic parties. Identity-based and populist mass politicization constrains regional integration and may even cause disintegration. Regional integration theories have closely followed and adapted themselves to the development of European integration. They cover the establishment and progress of supranational policies and institutions but also the recent crisis of the EU. An exemplary review of their explanations of major development in European integration shows that they are more complementary than competing.

'Poland Has Always Been in Europe'

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marysia Galbraith
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Careful Observation ◽  
Meaningful Engagement ◽  
Global Imaginary ◽  
European Union Studies ◽  
The Eu ◽  
National Borders

The paper explores ways in which individuals make use of the opportunities and resources provided by the European Union (EU), and how such instrumentalities can make the concept of Europe more salient for citizens. This is important to European Union studies generally because careful observation and analysis of everyday engagements can help to reveal the basis upon which the EU gains legitimacy, or, alternatively, the grounds for resistance to further integration. Through an examination of Poles' experiences of mobility, and their reflections about crossing national borders to work and travel, the paper shows that instrumentality is not just motivated by economic interests, but also by the desire to advance culturally, socially and symbolically within a global imaginary of hierarchically ranked nations. As such, support for European integration tends to weaken in situations where ongoing inequalities and exclusions lead to perceptions of social demotion. Further, instrumentalities can deepen meaningful engagement with the EU in ways that also reassert national loyalties.

scholarly journals Particularities of the European Union enlargement process

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreea Bucur
Keyword(s):  
European Integration ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Model ◽  
European Union Enlargement ◽  
And Function ◽  
Positive Results ◽  
The Eu

The European integration model has proven to be so far a successful one, with a high consideration from the other countries of the world and their attempts to replicate its components and to learn from its experience of regional integration is perhaps the most sincere form of appreciation. Contemporary global economy knows various other models of economic integration, but none of the existing forms of regional integration was not up to the achievements of the EU which is distinguished primarily by the stage reached and function and<br />its ability to create unity in the context of diversity. Irreversible process, and currently ongoing, and designed to produce positive results in perspective, the enlargement is one of the most significant factors of European construction success, always accompanying its history, marking the development, institutional structure, mode of cooperation and its policies. For these reasons, the present paper aims to approach the European integration model by the factors that influenced the enlargement and also by the course of events that are reflected in so-called “waves” of EU enlargement.

11. Normative Theory and the EU: Between Contract and Community

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bellamy ◽  
Claudia Attucci
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Normative Theory ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Nation State ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Principles Of Justice ◽  
The Eu

This chapter examines the input of normative theory to European integration theory. It first provides a historical background on social contract theory in Europe, followed by an analysis of John Rawls’s work as a way to explore the contribution of contractarian thinking to the normative dilemmas confronting the European Union. In particular, it considers Rawls’s two principles of justice. It also discusses three approaches that emphasize the centrality of democracy and have informed normative assessments of the democratic credentials of the EU, focusing on the writings of Jurgen Habermas, the national limits to the EU, and the normative position that makes sense of the EU’s character as ‘betwixt and between’ the nation state and a supranational institution. The chapter concludes with an assessment of how enlargement illustrates both the appeal of the normative approach and the difficulties it faces.

Complexity and Cultural Sources of Law in the EU Context: From the Multilevel Constitutionalism to the Constitutional Synallagma

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Martinico
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Legal Order ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Complex Entity ◽  
The Eu

In this work I will try to analyse the latest trends of the European integration process in light of the notion of complexity, conceived as a bilaterally active relationship between diversities.This notion of complexity comes from a comparison among the different meanings of this word as used in several disciplines (law, physics, mathematics, psychology, philosophy) and recovers the etymological sense of this concept (complexity from Latin complexus= interlaced). The effort to find a common linguistic core could cause ambiguity but I would like to take the risk because only a multidisciplinary approach can “catch” the hidden dimension of the European process I argue that the European Union legal order is a “complex” entity that shares some features with complex systems in natural sciences: non-reducibility, unpredictability, non-reversibility and non-determinability.

scholarly journals Presidency of Germany in the European Union as factor of development of European integration process (the second half 2020)

2021 ◽  
pp. 25-37
Author(s):  
Andrii Martynov
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
The United States ◽  
Modern World ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Eu

The article is devoted to Germany’s presidency in the European Union in the second half of 2020. This was a critical period in the modern history of the process of European integration. Conflicting tendencies emerged during the negotiations on the terms of the Brexit. The budget policy of the European Union required approval. The key tasks of the German presidency were the internal problems of the European Union. But it was not possible to focus exclusively on immanent issues. The pandemic has exacerbated international problems. German diplomacy joined in the settlement of the Greek-Turkish controversy. Germany and France have reached a common position on an agreement on the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the Brexit. Germany has reached a compromise on the adoption of the European Union budget for the period up to 2027. A large fund was created to support the European economy during the pandemic. Germany has set trends for the development of the European Union’s relations with key partners: the United States, Russia, and China. Germany welcomed Joseph Biden’s victory in the US presidential election. The European Union is considering resuming negotiations on a transatlantic free trade area with the United States. The EU and the US are ready to renew the Euro-Atlantic partnership. The interaction between the EU and the US is designed to protect liberal democracy in the modern world. With the assistance of Germany, the European Union has signed an investment agreement with China. Beijing has pledged to introduce social security guarantees and limit human rights abuses. Russia’s authoritarian threats remain a challenge to the European integration process. During Germany’s presidency of the European Union, the results of the presidential election in Belarus and the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny became conflicting issues. The German presidency was successful. In the internal policy of the European Union it was possible to form a strategy of ecological renewal of the European economy. The success of the environmental modernization of the EU economy systematically depends on the internal capacity of elites and European societies to implement this course and on the favorable balance of power in a globalized world.

scholarly journals Analysis of the European integration process Baltic countries: experience for Ukraine

2020 ◽  
pp. 22-27
Author(s):  
Yu. Masyk
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Baltic States ◽  
Member States ◽  
Baltic Countries ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Eu

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the integration of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia into the European Union. The stages are highlighted, the principles and mechanisms of the European integration policy of the Baltic States are clarified. The problems of Ukraine's adaptation to the requirements of the European Union, in particular the conditions of the Copenhagen criteria, ways to use the relevant experience of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are revealed. Recommendations for further rapprochement of Ukraine with the EU are considered. The accession of dozens of new countries to the EU in May 2004 marked a qualitatively new stage in the integration process both in Europe and in the world. As a result of the largest enlargement of the European Union, the state of the economy in the old member states has changed significantly, but rather it has had decisive consequences in all areas of the economy for the new member states. Analysis of the positive and negative phenomena that accompanied the enlargement of the EU is important for countries that have or are considering joining the EU in the future, in the formation of long-term economic policy and deciding on the directions of their integration. The closest to Ukraine in terms of development in the EU are the countries of Central Europe and the Baltics, so their experience will be useful for our country. Integration with the European Union was less difficult for the three Baltic states than for many other accessing countries, due to their strong social impetus to join Western political, economic and legal culture after they regained their independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. However, the accession of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had several distinctive features related to constitutional origin and institutions, which had a strong impact on the resolution of problems between the government and the EU institutions. The path taken by the Baltic countries upon accession to the EU was difficult and their role in the EU was not easy. Today, the EU-related agenda requires more skills than ever before in finding allies and choosing partners.

Brexit and the Future of the European Union

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Fabbrini
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
European Integration ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Member States ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

This book examines how the European Union has changed during Brexit and because of Brexit, while also reflecting on the developments of the EU besides Brexit and beyond Brexit. It argues that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU—the first ever case of disintegration since the start of the European integration process—creates an urgent need to reform the EU. In fact, while the EU institutions and its Member States have remained united in their negotiations vis-à-vis the UK, Brexit has created transitional problems for the EU, and exposed other serious fissures in its system of governance which need to be addressed moving forward. As the EU goes through another major crisis in the form of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the case for increasing the effectiveness and the legitimacy of the EU grows stronger. In this context, the book analyses the plan to establish a Conference on the Future of Europe, considering its precedents and discussing its prospects.

Unia Europejska w stanie krytycznym. Nowe sytuacje – nowe konstelacje – nowe orientacje

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Czachór
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Scientific Thinking ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
European Research ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu

The crisis in the European Union is forcing the world of science, mainly representatives of European research and studies, to change thinking, and thus to the need to search for new patterns of scientific thinking. Such formulas and views that will allow to explain and understand the dynamics of the construction and deconstruction of European integration. The paradigm of situationism is helpful here, which refers to the postulate of identifying and defining critical situations leading to changes in the EU. We define the situation here as a set of conditional circumstances and the state of the matter in which the European Union is located. The situation is also a fragment of the action (reconstruction of activities) taking place in the European integration process. Situationism may aspire to an integrative metatheory, because rejects all generalisation and universalisation of reality. It makes European integration actors (mainly policy-makers) connected with their actions (interactions – transactions) dependent on instruments (procedures) and requirements of the specific situation in which they found themselves.

scholarly journals METHODOLOGY OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-376
Author(s):  
T. N. Mikhaliova
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Traditional Method ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Regional Organizations ◽  
Integration Methods ◽  
Law Making ◽  
The Eu

Traditional method of international law is consensual one. Regional integration needs special methodology. The article reveals peculiarities of different methods of regional integration (intergovernmental, Community method, method of open coordination). The examples of application of integration methods in practice of different regional organizations are given. The EU law-making process is characterized with regards to choice of the method of legal regulation. The integration process demands wider application of community methods of legal regulation. However, some mechanisms for balancing the interests of diverse actors of integration are necessary, including through interaction and codependence of the latter in supranational methodology of regional integration. 

scholarly journals Regional economic integration in Europe: Effects and open issues

2006 ◽  
Vol 58 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 84-103
Author(s):  
Pero Petrovic ◽  
Miroslav Antevski
Keyword(s):  
European Integration ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Regional Economic Integration ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Regional Economic ◽  
National Productivity ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Open Issues

In analyzing regional economic integration in Europe the authors pay special attention to the development in the European Union, for other forms of regional or sub regional integration at the continent are in fact mostly transitional and provisional, and directly connected with EU. The authors argue that in spite of considerable success and high level of integration of the EU, several important open issues remain in that process. They are results of mixed character of European integration: political and economic. Too many kinds of interests are of opposed character, and it is very hard to harmonize them in real politics. The main problems in the EU have their cause in the nature of European integration: international competitiveness of European economy, social character of European states, national productivity, challenges of enlargement.

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