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The future of differentiated integration: a ‘soft-core,’ multi-clustered Europe of overlapping policy communities

The future of differentiated integration: a ‘soft-core,’ multi-clustered Europe of overlapping... In lieu of a conclusion to the Special Issue, this article discusses the future of Europe as one of differentiated integration. It argues that this future takes the form of member-states’ overlapping participation in the EU’s many policy communities, making for a soft-core Europe, as an alternative option to the hard-core around the Eurozone. The article contends that this multi-clustered Europe is the only feasible future, given the challenges facing the EU from its many crises, its problems of governance, and the difficulties of decision-making against a background of increasing politicization. But such differentiation is not without its problems, given EU decision-rules, the interconnectedness of policy arenas that can spell problems of spillover, and the need for deeper integration in some policy areas (e.g., migration) while others may benefit from less or more highly differentiated integration (e.g., Eurozone). Institutional reforms would also be necessary to ensure a positive future of differentiated integration: While the EU would continue to require a single set of institutions, it would need modified decision-rules to allow for more (and less) differentiation depending upon the area. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Comparative European Politics Springer Journals

The future of differentiated integration: a ‘soft-core,’ multi-clustered Europe of overlapping policy communities

Schmidt, Vivien
Comparative European Politics , Volume 17 (2) – Mar 21, 2019
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22 pages

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by Springer Nature Limited
Subject
Political Science and International Relations; Political Science and International Relations, general; Political Science; International Relations; Public Finance; European Politics; Comparative Politics
ISSN
1472-4790
eISSN
1740-388X
DOI
10.1057/s41295-019-00164-7
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In lieu of a conclusion to the Special Issue, this article discusses the future of Europe as one of differentiated integration. It argues that this future takes the form of member-states’ overlapping participation in the EU’s many policy communities, making for a soft-core Europe, as an alternative option to the hard-core around the Eurozone. The article contends that this multi-clustered Europe is the only feasible future, given the challenges facing the EU from its many crises, its problems of governance, and the difficulties of decision-making against a background of increasing politicization. But such differentiation is not without its problems, given EU decision-rules, the interconnectedness of policy arenas that can spell problems of spillover, and the need for deeper integration in some policy areas (e.g., migration) while others may benefit from less or more highly differentiated integration (e.g., Eurozone). Institutional reforms would also be necessary to ensure a positive future of differentiated integration: While the EU would continue to require a single set of institutions, it would need modified decision-rules to allow for more (and less) differentiation depending upon the area.

Journal

Comparative European Politics – Springer Journals

Published: Mar 21, 2019

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