Notes on the European Union
1) Key theoretical approaches to the European Integration
Background – Intellectual context
-‐ to understand the theories of European integration, it is important to consider the intellectual context from which the idea of European integration emerged
Federalism – Altiero Spinelli -‐ -‐
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Spinelli: leader of the European Union of Federalists: Idea: after the Second World War, the classes most privileged under old national system will seek a new order of nation states, that might appear democratic, but the power will return to the privileged classes eventually à renewing war between states Proposal: to prevent this development, create a federal European state to subordinate national governments to a federal authority à strategy of the Federalists, aimed to create a federal constitution for Europe Development: Congress took time to organize, taken place in Hague in 1948. By that time, national political systems were already re-‐established à Congress turned into the Council of Europe, not a new federal constitutional order Problem: diversity of Europe, different connotations in different part of Europe Mitrany: born in Romania, lived in UK and US, to build a “working peace
Background – Intellectual context
-‐ to understand the theories of European integration, it is important to consider the intellectual context from which the idea of European integration emerged
Federalism – Altiero Spinelli -‐ -‐
-‐
-‐
-‐
Spinelli: leader of the European Union of Federalists: Idea: after the Second World War, the classes most privileged under old national system will seek a new order of nation states, that might appear democratic, but the power will return to the privileged classes eventually à renewing war between states Proposal: to prevent this development, create a federal European state to subordinate national governments to a federal authority à strategy of the Federalists, aimed to create a federal constitution for Europe Development: Congress took time to organize, taken place in Hague in 1948. By that time, national political systems were already re-‐established à Congress turned into the Council of Europe, not a new federal constitutional order Problem: diversity of Europe, different connotations in different part of Europe Mitrany: born in Romania, lived in UK and US, to build a “working peace