Is Europe Moving Towards a Democratic Federation?

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

Abstracts

EN

The goal of this article is to answer the question if the European Union may, in the coming years, see reforms towards a democratic federation. At the beginning there is a scientific discussion about the traits of a federation in comparison with a confederation, as well as a technocratic (executive) federation to a lesser degree. What follows is a diagnosis of the current system of the European Union, which can be considered a hybrid in that it contains the traits of different systems. Next, the role of the main federal institution of the EU, that is the European Parliament, is assessed together with recent proposals for further reforms towards the federation. In the conclusions a projection of the key changes in the EU is presented, with a focus on evaluating the probability of a rise of a democratic federation.

Keywords

EN

democratic federation; technocratic federation; asymmetric confederation; the European Union; the European Parliament; hybrid system

• Publisher: Centre for Europe, University of Warsaw
• Journal: Yearbook of Polish European Studies
• Year: 2017
• Volume: 20
• Pages: 11-30

Contributors

author

Grosse Tomasz Grzegorz

References

• Bellamy R., Castiglione D., Three models of democracy, political community and representation in the EU, “Journal of European Public Policy”, Vol. 20, No. 2/2013.
• Bodin J., The Six Bookes of a Commonweale (Classic Reprint), London 2017.
• Bokajło W., Federalizm – rozwój idei i niektóre teorie (Federalism - Development of Ideas and Some Theories) in: Federalizm. Teorie i koncepcje (Federalism. Theories and Concepts), W. Bokajło (ed.), Wrocław 1998.
• Burgess M., Federalism and European Union: the Building of Europe, 1950–2000, London–New York 2000.
• Camisão I., Guimarães M.H., The Commission, the Single Market and the Crisis: The Limits of Purposeful Opportunism, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, Vol. 55, No. 2/2017.
• Costello R., Thomson R., The distribution of Power among EU institutions: who wins under codecision and why? “Journal of European Public Policy”, Vol. 20, No. 7/2013.
• Crum B., Saving the Euro at the Cost of Democracy?, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, Vol. 51, No. 4/2013.
• Cuyvers A., The Confederal Comeback: Rediscovering the Confederal Form for a Transnational World, “European Law Journal”, Vol. 19, No. 6/2013.
• Czaputowicz J., Teorie Integracji Europejskiej (Theories of European Integration), Warszawa 2018.
• Dashwood A., The Relationship between the Member States and the European Union/Community, “Common Market Law Review”, Vol. 41, No. 2/2004.
• Elazar D.J., The United States and the European Union: Models for Their Epochs in: The Federal Vision. Legitimacy and Levels of Governance in the United States and the European Union, K. Nicolaidis, R. Howse (eds.), Oxford–New York 2001.
• Euroscepticism Beyond Brexit, Pew Research Center, June 2016.
• Fabbrini S., Intergovernmentalism in the European Union. A comparative federalism perspective, “Journal of European Public Policy”, No. 24:4.
• Fasone C., European Economic Governance and Parliamentary Representation. What Place for the European Parliament? „European Law Journal”, Vol. 20, No. 2/2014.
• Fossum J.E., Jachtenfuchs M., Federal challenges and challenges to federalism. Insights from the EU and federal states, “Journal of European Public Policy”, Vol. 24, No. 4/2017.
• Franchino F., Mariotto C., Explaining negotiations in the conciliation committee, “European Union Politics”, Vol. 14, No. 3/2013.
• Genschel P., Jachtenfuchs M., Conclusion: The European Integration of Core State Powers in: Beyond the Regulatory Polity? The European Integration of Core State Powers, P. Genschel, M. Jachtenfuchs (eds.), Oxford–New York 2014.
• Góralczyk B., Return of History or Anti-liberal Revolution, “Yearbook of Polish European Studies”, Vol. 19/2016.
• Grosse T.G., Cztery wymiary legitymizacji Unii Europejskiej (Four Dimensions of the Legitimacy of the European Union), „Civitas”, No. 9/2006.
• Grosse T.G., Czy jest możliwy przełom instytucjonalny w Unii Europejskiej (Is the Institutional Breakthrough in the European Union Possible?), „Sprawy Międzynarodowe”, No. 1/2006.
• Grosse T.G., Germany’s strategy and tactic towards the crisis in European integration, in print.
• Grosse T.G., Hybrydowy ustrój Unii Europejskiej: dwie logiki zmian w projekcie traktatu konstytucyjnego (The Hybrid System of the European Union: Two Logic of Changes in the Draft of Constitutional Treaty), “Analizy Natolińskie”, No. 3(26)/2008.
• Grosse T.G., Introduction in: European Union Policies at a Time of Crisis, T.G. Grosse (ed.), Warsaw 2017.
• Grosse T.G., Konstruowanie rzeczywistości jako metoda integracji europejskiej. Przykład Parlamentu Europejskiego (Constructing Reality as a Method of European Integration. Example of the European Parliament) in: Zastosowanie konstruktywizmu w studiach europejskich (The Use of Constructivism in European Studies), J. Czaputowicz (ed.), Warszawa 2016.
• Grosse T.G., O polityczności dwupoziomowego systemu politycznego w Europie in: Multi-level governance w Unii Europejskiej (On the Politics of the Two-Tier Political System in Europe), J. Ruszkowski, L. Wojnicz (eds.), Szczecin–Warszawa 2013.
• Habermas J., Citizen and State Equality in Supranational Political Community: Degressive Proportionality and the Pouvoir Constituant Mixte, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, Vol. 55, No. 2/2017.
• Hallerberg M., Why Is there Fiscal Capacity but Little Regulation in the US, but Regulation and Little Fiscal Capacity in Europe? The Global Financial Crisis as a Test Case in: Beyond the Regulatory Polity? The European Integration of Core State Powers, P. Genschel, M. Jachtenfuchs (eds.), Oxford–New York 2014.
• Hix S., Marsh M., Second-order effects plus pan-European political swings: an analysis of European Parliament elections across time, “Electoral Studies”, No. 30/2011.
• Initiative pour l’Europe – Discours d’Emmanuel Macron pour une Europe souveraine, unie, démocratique, http://www.elysee.fr/declarations/article/initiative-pourl-europe-discours-d-emmanuel-macron-pour-une-europe-souveraine-uniedemocratique/.
• Jensen T., Winzen T., Legislative negotiations In the European Parliament, “European Union Politics”, Vol. 13, No. 1/2011.
• Joerges C., Taking the Law Seriously: On Political Science and the Role of Law in the Process of European Integration, “European Law Journal”, Vol. 2, No. 2/1996.
• Juncker J.-C., State of the Union Address 2017, Brussels, 13 September 2017, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-17-3165_pl.htm.
• Juncker J.-C., Tusk D., Dijsselbloem J., Draghi M., Schulz M., Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union, Brussels 2015.
• Kabat-Rudnicka D., Zasada federalna a integracja ponadnarodowa. Unia Europejska miedzy federalizmem dualistycznym a kooperatywnym, Kraków 2010.
• Keleman D., Building the New European State? Federalism, Core State Powers, and European Integration in: Beyond the Regulatory Polity? The European Integration of Core State Powers, P. Genschel, M. Jachtenfuchs (eds.), Oxford–New York 2014.
• Konopacki S., Dylematy federalizmu europejskiego, „Studia Europejskie”, nr 4/1998.
• Leaders maneuver to prevent EU ‘deep state’, “Politico”, 14.12.2017, https://www.politico.eu/article/leaders-maneuver-to-prevent-eu-deep-state/.
• Majone G., Federation, Confederation, and Mixed Government: A EU-US Comparison in: Comparative Federalism: The European Union and the United States in Comparative Perspective, A. Menon, M. Schain (eds.), Oxford–New York 2006.
• Menon A., Defence Policy and the Logic of High Politics in: Beyond the Regulatory Polity? The European Integration of Core State Powers, P. Genschel, M. Jachtenfuchs (eds.), Oxford–New York 2014.
• Moravcik A., European federalism and modern social science. A rejoinder on the Maastricht referendum, “French Politics and Society”, Vol. 11, No. 2/1993.
• Phelan W., Why do the EU Member States Accept the Supremacy of European Law? Explaining Supremacy as an Alternative to Bilateral Reciprocity, “Journal of European Public Policy”, Vol. 18, No. 5/2011.
• Priestley J., Schollgen G., Peñalver García N., The Making of a European President, London 2015.
• Raines T., Goodwin M., Cutts D., Europe’s Political Tribes. Exploring the Diversity of Views Across the EU, Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, London 2017.
• Rittberger B., Institutionalizing Representative Democracy In the European Union: The Case of the European Parliament, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, Vol. 50, No. S 1/2012.
• Rittberger B., Schimmelfennig F., Explaining the Constitutionalization of the European Union, “Journal of European Public Policy”, Vol. 13, No. 8/2006.
• Schimmelfennig F., The Normative Origins of Democracy in the European Union: Towards a Transformationalist Theory of Democratization, “European Political Science Review”, Vol. 2, No. 2/2010.
• Schütze R., European Constitutional Law, Cambridge–New York 2012.
• Scicluna N., When Failure isn’t Failure: European Union Constitutionalism after the Lisbon Treaty, “Journal of Common Market Studies”, Vol. 50, No. 3/2012.
• SPD’s Martin Schulz wants United States of Europe by 2025, “Politico”, 7.12.2017, https://www.politico.eu/article/spds-martin-schulz-wants-united-states-ofeurope-by-2025/.
• Spinelli A., European Union in the Resistance, “Government and Opposition”, Vol. 2, No. 3/1967.
• Van Rompuy H., Barroso J.M., Juncker J.-C., Draghi M., Towards a Genuine Economic and Monetary Union, Brussels, 5 December 2012.
• Watts R.L., Comparing Federal Systems, Montreal–Kingston 1999.
• Weiler J.H.H., Federalism Without Constitutionalism: Europe’s Sonderweg in: The Federal Vision. Legitimacy and Levels of Governance in the United States and the European Union, K. Nicolaidis, R. Howse (eds.), Oxford–New York 2001.
• White J., Political Allegiance after European Integration, Basingstoke 2011