Sovereignty in the European Union: A Critical Appraisal

• Authors: Grosse Tomasz Grzegorz
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

Sovereignty in the European Union is restricted by EU law and policies. The weakest and peripheral states have the least impact on the shape of this law and policies and hence are most constrained thereby. In the case of the largest states sovereignty is reinforced. Countries with the greatest influence on the way the Union functions are able to use its instruments to implement goals that result from their national democratic processes, which means that the sovereignty of the most powerful states is enhanced at the expense of those on the periphery. The key to explain this phenomenon is the asymmetry of power in the EU among the Member States. In a way, the smaller states, which are weaker economically and politically, trade their national sovereignty for economic benefits or for a stronger sense of stability and security. At the same time, the crises that affect Europe show that the said benefits from limiting sovereignty are not durable, as they have resulted in a number of economic, social and political problems, undermining both stability and a sense of security.

Keywords

EN

European Union

• Publisher: Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych
• Journal: The Polish Quarterly of International Affairs
• Year: 2016
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 106-123

Contributors

author

Grosse Tomasz Grzegorz