European Integration
Table of Contents
0 INTRODUCTION AND EXAM .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1 THEORIES OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ........................................................................................................................ 3
2 HISTORY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION .......................................................................................................................... 7
3 THEORIES OF EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE ...................................................................................................................... 26
4 INSTITUTIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE EU .................................................................................................................. 28
5 EU BUDGET AND REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES................................................................................................................. 47
6 ENLARGEMENT .......................................................................................................................................................... 54
7 SINGLE MARKET AND COMPETITION POLICY ............................................................................................................... 62
8 ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION – ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE ................................................................................ 71
9 EXTERNAL RELATIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 82
10 INTERNAL SECURITY / JHA POLICIES ........................................................................................................................ 90
1
,0 Introduction and exam
0.1 Collective feedback and tips
1) Correctness
a. Know the course content
b. Don’t mention things you don’t understand
c. Use concepts correctly (no mistakes!)
No references on written exam
2) Completeness
a. Dissect all dimensions of a statement (read very carefully and always refer back to statement)
b. Cluster arguments around ‘topics’ or ‘labels’ → write scheme for yourself or pro-con or use arrow (just
make sure that there is a structure and it is clear)
c. Empower your arguments
i. Example is not the argument itself!
3) Logic
a. No not appeal to tradition (‘it has always been the case’)
b. Look at document at how to make a good argument
0.2 Exam
Preparatory readings from the textbook
Be precise when answering questions!!
Read specialised online news outlets about the EU
• Politico.eu! → politico playbook, newsletter (subscribe!), Vleva, CEPS, Euractiv
• Financial times (neoliberal business), New York times (leftist liberal paper)
Exam = 90%
- 20 multiple choice (30%)
- 2 argumentation questions (60%)
2
,1 Theories of European Integration
1.1 Four worlds of European Integration
1. Integration of states
▪ Why are sovereign states willing to put aside their sovereignty to work together in form of the EU?
▪ The member states are still sovereign and have not given that up, but they have decided to rule together and decide together
2. Functioning of the European Union / EU governance (comparative politics)
▪ EU exists; how does it work? What are the policies, why are these the policies that have been created, why are there more
policies on one subject and less on another.
3. Impact of the EU on member states (comparative politics)
4. Critique and construction of European Integration (critical theory)
History of European Integration: Functioning of the EU / EU as a political system /
• Questions: EU governance
o What is the degree of integration? • Questions:
o why do sovereign states integrate? o How does EU decision-making work?
• Theory: o Who determines policy contents?
o Theories from International Relations / • Theory:
European integration o Theories from comparative politics
o (Functionalism, liberal o (Institutionalism, policy networks, multi-level
intergovernmentalism, …) governance, …)
1.2 The intellectual background: academic
(1) David Mitrany – ‘A Working Peace System’ (1943):
• Legacy of the failed League of Nations: nationalism as the cause of war
• eliminate nationalism by making states work together
• establishment of a series of international functional (sectoral) agencies
• expectation that states will discover the benefits of cooperation and that increasing cooperation will refrain
states from acting independently
• political elites and eventually citizens will be socialized in an international environment
Depoliticization of the power transfer, bureaucratic process → no aim to build regional or worldwide federations
Wat did Mitrany predict?
• He thought about how to prevent war
• problem: natural nationalist policies (identify with nations) → can lead to war
Bureaucratic processes have to bring states together – cooperation is beneficial
• it is all about functions (not feelings)
• states will find out it is efficient for them
• Depoliticise
• they will slowly integrate step by step (make them work together)
→ This way they will not turn to violence
→ Democratic depoliticised way
3
, (2) Altiero Spinelli and the European Union of Federalists:
• legacy of the Resistance Movements of WWII
• Ventotene Manifesto (1941): call for a European Federation
• explicit aim of a transfer of political authority: abolishment of the sovereign nation-states and creation of a
European federation, political project
o Explicitly political project that goes beyond the nations (and goes beyond the nationalism of the
nations)→ necessary
• European Congress (The Hague 1948) failed to establish the expected federation
1.3 The intellectual background: political/bureaucratic
(3) Jean Monnet - Functional Federalism:
• technocrat and planner
o Important figure (inventor European integration)
o not politician but civil servant (served in the war)
• context:
o economic reconstruction of France
o the need to control German economic reconstruction
o establishment of supranational institutions to make states mutually dependent
o start with strategic sectors and add other sectors later: spill over
o ultimate aim is a political union by starting with economic integration
How we can we prevent states from going to war? Under what conditions do states want to integrate?
→ have them work together
After the war the continent had to rebuild (the whole of Europe had to work together to do this)
• have Germany participate (lots of resources), but fear that Germany will rebuild military
• bring the sovereignty of these states under one umbrella (the sovereignty of nation states will be pooled) so
that no one can misuse the resources to rebuild
Strategic sectors: industrial capacity (we need coal and steel) → start ECSC
When they see that it is successful (application, distribution …) → nations will see that cooperation works and do the
same for other sectors → Idea of spill over
The ideas spill over to another country, to another sector (when politicians see that it works, there will be pressure
from politicians to include more sectors)
Not a regional idea
You will include sectors that are the core of the nation state
If the spill over goes too far (monetary, military…) it will create a new political system
If we look at EU today, he was not very wrong
Now pressure on military is so high that maybe we will do more integration (to be continued)
(4) Intergovernmentalism (Stanley Hoffmann – 1964/1968)
• Building on IR theory of Realism
• Governments of states are dominant in international relations and European integration:
o external pressures influence national governments’ international behaviour
o national governments control integration, keeping an eye on national interests
o domestic interest groups play a role, but national governments keep control (governments enjoy the
sovereign power and the democratic legitimacy)
o when national interests coincide, functional integration is possible to the extent that it serves the
individual national interests
o political integration and integration in ‘high politics’ sectors (e.g. foreign policy) remain highly unlikely
competing theories: realism and liberalism
4
Table of Contents
0 INTRODUCTION AND EXAM .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1 THEORIES OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ........................................................................................................................ 3
2 HISTORY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION .......................................................................................................................... 7
3 THEORIES OF EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE ...................................................................................................................... 26
4 INSTITUTIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE EU .................................................................................................................. 28
5 EU BUDGET AND REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES................................................................................................................. 47
6 ENLARGEMENT .......................................................................................................................................................... 54
7 SINGLE MARKET AND COMPETITION POLICY ............................................................................................................... 62
8 ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION – ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE ................................................................................ 71
9 EXTERNAL RELATIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 82
10 INTERNAL SECURITY / JHA POLICIES ........................................................................................................................ 90
1
,0 Introduction and exam
0.1 Collective feedback and tips
1) Correctness
a. Know the course content
b. Don’t mention things you don’t understand
c. Use concepts correctly (no mistakes!)
No references on written exam
2) Completeness
a. Dissect all dimensions of a statement (read very carefully and always refer back to statement)
b. Cluster arguments around ‘topics’ or ‘labels’ → write scheme for yourself or pro-con or use arrow (just
make sure that there is a structure and it is clear)
c. Empower your arguments
i. Example is not the argument itself!
3) Logic
a. No not appeal to tradition (‘it has always been the case’)
b. Look at document at how to make a good argument
0.2 Exam
Preparatory readings from the textbook
Be precise when answering questions!!
Read specialised online news outlets about the EU
• Politico.eu! → politico playbook, newsletter (subscribe!), Vleva, CEPS, Euractiv
• Financial times (neoliberal business), New York times (leftist liberal paper)
Exam = 90%
- 20 multiple choice (30%)
- 2 argumentation questions (60%)
2
,1 Theories of European Integration
1.1 Four worlds of European Integration
1. Integration of states
▪ Why are sovereign states willing to put aside their sovereignty to work together in form of the EU?
▪ The member states are still sovereign and have not given that up, but they have decided to rule together and decide together
2. Functioning of the European Union / EU governance (comparative politics)
▪ EU exists; how does it work? What are the policies, why are these the policies that have been created, why are there more
policies on one subject and less on another.
3. Impact of the EU on member states (comparative politics)
4. Critique and construction of European Integration (critical theory)
History of European Integration: Functioning of the EU / EU as a political system /
• Questions: EU governance
o What is the degree of integration? • Questions:
o why do sovereign states integrate? o How does EU decision-making work?
• Theory: o Who determines policy contents?
o Theories from International Relations / • Theory:
European integration o Theories from comparative politics
o (Functionalism, liberal o (Institutionalism, policy networks, multi-level
intergovernmentalism, …) governance, …)
1.2 The intellectual background: academic
(1) David Mitrany – ‘A Working Peace System’ (1943):
• Legacy of the failed League of Nations: nationalism as the cause of war
• eliminate nationalism by making states work together
• establishment of a series of international functional (sectoral) agencies
• expectation that states will discover the benefits of cooperation and that increasing cooperation will refrain
states from acting independently
• political elites and eventually citizens will be socialized in an international environment
Depoliticization of the power transfer, bureaucratic process → no aim to build regional or worldwide federations
Wat did Mitrany predict?
• He thought about how to prevent war
• problem: natural nationalist policies (identify with nations) → can lead to war
Bureaucratic processes have to bring states together – cooperation is beneficial
• it is all about functions (not feelings)
• states will find out it is efficient for them
• Depoliticise
• they will slowly integrate step by step (make them work together)
→ This way they will not turn to violence
→ Democratic depoliticised way
3
, (2) Altiero Spinelli and the European Union of Federalists:
• legacy of the Resistance Movements of WWII
• Ventotene Manifesto (1941): call for a European Federation
• explicit aim of a transfer of political authority: abolishment of the sovereign nation-states and creation of a
European federation, political project
o Explicitly political project that goes beyond the nations (and goes beyond the nationalism of the
nations)→ necessary
• European Congress (The Hague 1948) failed to establish the expected federation
1.3 The intellectual background: political/bureaucratic
(3) Jean Monnet - Functional Federalism:
• technocrat and planner
o Important figure (inventor European integration)
o not politician but civil servant (served in the war)
• context:
o economic reconstruction of France
o the need to control German economic reconstruction
o establishment of supranational institutions to make states mutually dependent
o start with strategic sectors and add other sectors later: spill over
o ultimate aim is a political union by starting with economic integration
How we can we prevent states from going to war? Under what conditions do states want to integrate?
→ have them work together
After the war the continent had to rebuild (the whole of Europe had to work together to do this)
• have Germany participate (lots of resources), but fear that Germany will rebuild military
• bring the sovereignty of these states under one umbrella (the sovereignty of nation states will be pooled) so
that no one can misuse the resources to rebuild
Strategic sectors: industrial capacity (we need coal and steel) → start ECSC
When they see that it is successful (application, distribution …) → nations will see that cooperation works and do the
same for other sectors → Idea of spill over
The ideas spill over to another country, to another sector (when politicians see that it works, there will be pressure
from politicians to include more sectors)
Not a regional idea
You will include sectors that are the core of the nation state
If the spill over goes too far (monetary, military…) it will create a new political system
If we look at EU today, he was not very wrong
Now pressure on military is so high that maybe we will do more integration (to be continued)
(4) Intergovernmentalism (Stanley Hoffmann – 1964/1968)
• Building on IR theory of Realism
• Governments of states are dominant in international relations and European integration:
o external pressures influence national governments’ international behaviour
o national governments control integration, keeping an eye on national interests
o domestic interest groups play a role, but national governments keep control (governments enjoy the
sovereign power and the democratic legitimacy)
o when national interests coincide, functional integration is possible to the extent that it serves the
individual national interests
o political integration and integration in ‘high politics’ sectors (e.g. foreign policy) remain highly unlikely
competing theories: realism and liberalism
4
