To what extent is the EU now a superstate?
To what extent is the EU now a ‘superstate’?
What obstacles are there to further European Integration?
(45 mark)
To some extent the EU has become a superstate due to federalist features that combine the member states of the European Union closer together. For Eurosceptic British who oppose the further integration between the states have defined the EU’s superstate to be a huge, centralized Brussels Bureaucracy limiting the sovereign authority of member states. This can be controversial as those in favour of the EU would prefer to grant some powers to a central body as they can achieve benefits in return for example the single market.
There are features that are entailed within a federal state that the EU’s super state contains; one being that it has two levels of government, a general and regional. There would be a formal distribution of authority and sources of revenue between the two levels. This can be said to be achieved in the EU’s superstate as elements of a federal state is seen in the EU as its legislative branch is the European Parliament, the EU’s judiciary is the European Court of Justice and the Commission can also be seen to the closest institution to a executive, therefore authority has been distributed to different institutions. Another factor that shows the extent to which the EU has become a superstate is that a federal system requires all states to have a single currency as well as a common passport. Within the EU, all member states have the euro currency and also share common passports however obstacles that may stand in the way of federal system sharing common features is Britain and Denmark. They refused to adopt the currency and have remained to their own, they want to retain their national sovereignty and are not looking to adopt federalist features that may threaten to.
The EU becoming further integrated and creating a superstate can be seen as controversial. There may be ideological conflict between federalism and
What obstacles are there to further European Integration?
(45 mark)
To some extent the EU has become a superstate due to federalist features that combine the member states of the European Union closer together. For Eurosceptic British who oppose the further integration between the states have defined the EU’s superstate to be a huge, centralized Brussels Bureaucracy limiting the sovereign authority of member states. This can be controversial as those in favour of the EU would prefer to grant some powers to a central body as they can achieve benefits in return for example the single market.
There are features that are entailed within a federal state that the EU’s super state contains; one being that it has two levels of government, a general and regional. There would be a formal distribution of authority and sources of revenue between the two levels. This can be said to be achieved in the EU’s superstate as elements of a federal state is seen in the EU as its legislative branch is the European Parliament, the EU’s judiciary is the European Court of Justice and the Commission can also be seen to the closest institution to a executive, therefore authority has been distributed to different institutions. Another factor that shows the extent to which the EU has become a superstate is that a federal system requires all states to have a single currency as well as a common passport. Within the EU, all member states have the euro currency and also share common passports however obstacles that may stand in the way of federal system sharing common features is Britain and Denmark. They refused to adopt the currency and have remained to their own, they want to retain their national sovereignty and are not looking to adopt federalist features that may threaten to.
The EU becoming further integrated and creating a superstate can be seen as controversial. There may be ideological conflict between federalism and