integration

Constitutional differentiation is often assumed to match perfectly with reality. We argue, however, that this is often not the case in core state powers. Constitutional differentiation often does not lead to the exclusion of the non-integrated...

Since the outbreak of the Euro crisis, there has been a renewed interest by scholars in Germany’s role and power within the European Union (EU). In this broader debate the concept of a German hegemony came to the fore. A full analysis on whether...

Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022 has led to a reorganisation of the European security architecture, which is particularly evident in the North and Baltic Sea regions. Europe reacted to the aggression in a united manner and faced up to its...

fThe European Union (EU) has been facing an energy crisis since the autumn of 2021, which has been exacerbated by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, and the climate crisis. The war in Ukraine has changed European perceptions of...

The rule of law and democracy in the European Union (EU) are under great pressure. Indices measuring the rule of law show that attacks on it are on the rise. In the meantime, the EU has developed numerous instruments to defend the rule of law, but...

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of examples of foreign countries seeking to influence the decisions of the European Union (EU) or its member states in the area of trade and investment policy. Unfortunately, the existing EU...

The Russian attack on Ukraine and the ensuing war entails enormous external and internal challenges for the European Union (EU). First, the war is a conflict between an autocratic regime and the liberal democracies in Europe and the EU. Second, the...

With the Lisbon Treaty, the position of the High Representative underwent an “upgrade” with the aim of increasing the visibility and coherence of the European Union foreign policy. This article continues and expands a study by Nicolai von...

The Council presidency during the first semester of 2022 provided France and president Emmanuel Macron with a window of opportunity to promote its own European policy agenda and to convince a more Eurosceptic French population of the benefits of...

The term “fiscal dominance” refers to a regime in which a central bank is no longer free to pursue its monetary policy objectives because high fiscal deficits and debt levels are inhibiting an effective inflation control. This analysis discusses...

This article analyses how and to what extent a new guiding narrative of European integration manifests itself in recent self-portrayals of the European Union (EU) as a guarantor of security and protection. This image creates and reproduces specific...

On 29 August 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave a long-awaited speech at Charles University in Prague that provides an important point of reference for the future European policy course of the incumbent coalition government after 16 years of...

The European Union (EU) constitutes an area of freedom, security and justice in which the citizens of the Union are to be guaranteed freedom of movement without internal borders. At the same time, it is emphasised that the prevention and combating...

At international climate conferences, the European Union (EU) and its member states both are negotiating partners. The EU signs the treaties to protect the climate, the member states ratify and translate them into national policy. Based on the...

This article analyses the European Union’s (EU) internal security policy as a core element of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in the 1990s. In official EU internal security documents, the...

The COVID-19 pandemic and previous cross-border health crises have fostered European integration. The article provides a neofunctionalist explanation of the medium- to long-term deepening of the European Union (EU) in the field of public health...

Europe is facing many challenges, both from the outside, such as migration, and from within, through increasing organised crime or terrorist attacks. At the same time, the tug-of-war between nation-state sovereignty and European actors leads to a...