Which European Union?
Europe after the Euro Crisis

This book asks how the European Union can tackle the constitutional conundrum caused by the Euro crisis.

Sergio Fabbrini (Author)

9781107503977, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 February 2015

376 pages, 8 b/w illus. 19 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

'[Which European Union?] correctly puts an emphasis on the role of Sarkozy and Merkel in dealing with the crisis, while other EU actors were partially marginalised.' Davide Vittori, The International Spectator

Sergio Fabbrini argues that the European Union (EU) is made up of states pursuing different aims, rather than simply moving in the same direction at different speeds. He describes the alternative perspectives on the EU (an economic community, an intergovernmental union, and a parliamentary union), that led to multiple compromises in its structure and shows how the Euro crisis has called them into question. The book argues that a new European political order is necessary to deal with the consequences of the crisis, based on an institutional differentiation between the EU member states interested only in market co-operation and those advancing towards a genuine economic and monetary union. Such a differentiation would allow the latter group to become a political union, conceptualised as a compound union of states and citizens, while preserving a revised framework of a single market in which both groups of states can participate.

Preface: how many Unions?
Part I. Institutionalisation of Multiple Unions: 1. From Rome to the Lisbon Treaty
2. The Lisbon Treaty and the Euro Crisis
3. Institutionalisation and constitutional divisions
Part II. Main Perspectives on the European Union: 4. The perspective of the economic community
5. The perspective of intergovernmental union
6. The perspective of parliamentary union
Part III. Towards the Compound Union Perspective: 7. Comparing democratic models
8. Compound unions and the EU
9. A new political order in Europe.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]