Key Controversies in European Integration

by Hubert Zimmermann, Andreas Dür

Overview

Is the EU a success or a failure?
Should It Stay or Should It Go? Britain and the EU
The Big Waste or Essential to Feed Europe? The Common Agricultural Policy

Observers of the European Union could be forgiven in thinking that since its inception the EU project has been under threat from near constant crises. In recent years, controversial issues such as EU enlargement, the fallout from the Eurozone crisis, migration policies, Brexit and the Corona pandemic have tested the EU to its limits and divided public opinion in the process.

The major third edition of this comprehensive textbook on the EU seeks to introduce the integration project by looking at the thorny debates politicians, European citizens and the media contend with on a daily basis. Well known for its unique and pedagogically-innovative key debates format, the editors have invited top names in the field to contribute a stirring contribution either 'for' or 'against' each of the toughest political questions the EU faces. In doing so, not only does it offer a broad introduction to all the key concerns of the Union, but it does so in a way that is contemporary, engaging and designed to spark controversy.

New to this Edition:
- All chapters fully revised and updatedNew chapter on the transatlantic partnership
- All chapters now with key takeaway points
- Across all controversies, more inclusion of mainstream gender and feminist approaches

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781352011906
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Series:	The European Union Series , #39
Edition description:	3rd ed. 2021
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Hubert Zimmermann is Professor of International Relations at Philipp University of Marburg. He also taught at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, and Ruhr-University, Bochum. He received his PhD from the European University Institute, Florence. He has published on EU foreign economic and security policies, transatlantic relations, and international monetary and financial issues.

Andreas Dür is Professor of International Politics at the University of Salzburg. He holds a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence. Prior to taking up his current position, he was a research fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research and a lecturer at University College Dublin. Dür has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles on trade policy, interest group politics, and European integration. His most recent books are Insiders versus Outsiders: Interest Group Politics in Multilevel Europe (Oxford University Press, 2016) and The Political Influence of Business in the European Union (University of Michigan Press, 2019).
Hubert Zimmermann is Professor of International Relations at Philipp University of Marburg. He also taught at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, and Ruhr-University, Bochum. He received his PhD from the European University Institute, Florence. He has published on EU foreign economic and security policies, transatlantic relations, and international monetary and financial issues.

Andreas Dür is Professor of International Politics at the University of Salzburg. He holds a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence. Prior to taking up his current position, he was a research fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research and a lecturer at University College Dublin. Dür has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles on trade policy, interest group politics, and European integration. His most recent books are Insiders versus Outsiders: Interest Group Politics in Multilevel Europe (Oxford University Press, 2016) and The Political Influence of Business in the European Union (University of Michigan Press, 2019).

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The European Union: Success or Failure?
Why Europe Works; John McCormick
The Rise and Fall of the EU; Jan Zielonka
2. More Powers for Brussels or Renationalization?
A Stronger, More Supranational Union; Derek Beach
The New Intergovernmentalism and European Integration; Uwe Puetter
3. How Democratic is the EU?
The Inevitability of a Democratic Deficit; Richard Bellamy
A Democratic Achievement, Not Just a Democratic Deficit; Christopher Lord
4. Too Much Power for the Judges?
Understanding the European Court's Political Power; Karen Alter and Daniel Kelemen
A Strange Institution; Jeremy Rabkin
5. Can There Be A Common European Identity?
European Identity Formation in (the) Crisis; Ulrike Liebert
A Common European Identity is an Illusion; Jonathan White
6. Lobbying in the EU: How Much Power for Big Business?
Still Influential After All These Years
Corporate Interests in the EU; Laura Horn and Angela Wigger
The Diminishing Power of Big Business; David Marshall
7. The Uncertain Future of the Euro
Why the Euro is a Functional Necessity in the Process of European Integration; Henrik Enderlein
For a Plurality of Economic and Social Models! Against the Uniform Euro State!; Andreas Nölke
8. Can the EU Tame Big Finance?
The Merits of Adaptive Governance: The Regulation of Financial Services in the EU; Jörn Carsten Gottwald
The Pitfalls of EU Governance in Financial Markets; Daniel Mügge
9. The Big Waste? The Common Agricultural Policy
The CAP: Dilemmas and Facts; Anastassios Haniotis
The Common Agricultural Policy: an Environmental, Social and Sanitary Failure; Eve Fouilleux
10. Does the EU Act as a Normative Power?
The EU as Normative Power; Daniela Sicurelli
Living in a Material World: A Critique of 'Normative Power Europe'; Mark Pollack
11. Has EU Enlargement Gone Too Far?
The Case for European Union Enlargement; Rachel Epstein
EU Enlargement: A Critique; Christopher J. Bickerton
12. Towards A Common European Army?
The European Union's CSDP: the Great Illusion; Luca Ratti
Defence Integration in the EU: From Vision to Business-as-Usual; Hanna Ojanen
13. Britain's Decision to Leave the EU: Good or Bad?
In Defence of Brexit; Christopher J. Bickerton
Brexit-a Political and Economic Disaster for Britain; Martin Rhodes
14. New German Hegemony: Does It Exist, And Is It Dangerous?
A Benign Hegemon: Germany's European Vocation; Miguel Otero-Iglesias and Hubert Zimmermann
The Failure of German Leadership; Matthias Matthijs
15. What Future for the Transatlantic Partnership?
Dis-Atlanticism: The West in an Era of Global Fragmentation; Rawi Abdelal and Ulrich Krotz
A Transatlantic Strategy for the Liberal Order; Bart Szewzyk
Conclusion.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

For the past decade, this has been one of the go-to titles for understanding the key tensions in the process of European integration: thoughtful and stimulating, it offers a window to the basic questions that drive both academic study and political debate around the European Union Bringing together an impressive line-up of authors, it highlights the vibrancy of European Studies.— Simon Usherwood, University of Surrey, UK

Key Controversies in European Integration’ tackles the big debates that have dominated EU politics in the recent past. It includes an A-list of EU scholars and is highly accessible through its format of juxtaposing two opposing views on each of these debates. Essential reading for students, scholars and policy-makers alike. — Sandra Kroger, University of Exeter, UK

By using fundamental and topical controversies as guiding structure, this textbook stands apart from the many classic overviews of European integration. The editors have brought together some of the finest scholars from the various disciplines that study the EU. All contributors provide well-informed, coherent and sometimes provoking arguments regarding key issues of both EU integration and politics. The approach is particularly useful for more advanced students and highly recommended for courses that put debates and discussion at the core of their teaching. Likewise, scholars of European integration will also enjoy the synthesizing, yet innovative, argumentation put forward in many of its chapters. — Peter Bursens, University of Antwerp, Belgium

This impressive textbook brings together the expertise of leading researchers and offers a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for the students of the European Union. Going beyond the traditional descriptive style, this unique collection provides a much-needed critical angle. Its well-structured chapters address the most salient controversies in European integration and arm the students with arguments on both sides of these debates. — Ece Özlem Atikcan, University of Warwick, UK

The project of a European integration has its history of crises and fundamental challenges. The chapters of this timely new edition provide critical insights into the ups and downs of a unique political endeavour. — Kurt Huebner, The University of British Columbia, Canada

This book is unique in its presentation of key issues and debates in European Integration, and shows how political struggles have shaped the European Union. It provides a welcome tool for teaching European Integration in a more critical fashion. — Hanna L. Muehlenhoff, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Editorial Reviews

For the past decade, this has been one of the go-to titles for understanding the key tensions in the process of European integration: thoughtful and stimulating, it offers a window to the basic questions that drive both academic study and political debate around the European Union. Bringing together an impressive line-up of authors, it highlights the vibrancy of European Studies.” —Simon Usherwood, University of Surrey, UK

“Key Controversies in European Integration' is tackles the big debates that have dominated EU politics in the recent past. It includes an A-list of EU scholars and is highly accessible through its format of juxtaposing two opposing views on each of these debates. Essential reading for students, scholars and policy-makers alike.” —Sandra Kroger, University of Exeter, UK

“By using fundamental and topical controversies as guiding structure, this textbook stands apart from the many classic overviews of European integration. The editors have brought together some of the finest scholars from the various disciplines that study the EU. All contributors provide well-informed, coherent and sometimes provoking arguments regarding key issues of both EU integration and politics. The approach is particularly useful for more advanced students and highly recommended for courses that put debates and discussion at the core of their teaching. Likewise, scholars of European integration will also enjoy the synthesizing, yet innovative, argumentation put forward in many of its chapters.” —Peter Bursens, University of Antwerp, Belgium

“This impressive textbook brings together the expertise of leading researchers and offers a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for the students of the European Union. Going beyond the traditional descriptive style, this unique collection provides a much-needed critical angle. Its well-structured chapters address the most salient controversies in European integration and arm the students with arguments on both sides of these debates.” —Ece Özlem Atikcan, University of Warwick, UK

“The project of a European integration has its history of crises and fundamental challenges. The chapters of this timely new edition provide critical insights into the ups and downs of a unique political endeavour.” —Kurt Huebner, The University of British Columbia, Canada

“This book is unique in its presentation of key issues and debates in European Integration, and shows how political struggles have shaped the European Union. It provides a welcome tool for teaching European Integration in a more critical fashion.” —Hanna L. Muehlenhoff, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

From the Publisher