The first chapter is a qualitative analysis of the Lisbon Treaty and its institutional and political implications for the international political identity of the European Union as a global actor. With the integration of the EU’s foreign policy capacities and the fusion of the (former) three pillars, the Lisbon Treaty makes some sort of rationalization of the institutions in terms of providing efficient and simplified decision-making, suitable for implementing a coherent foreign policy. This chapter concludes that the Lisbon Treaty does not represent a finalité politique of the EU integration process, but just a step towards its achievement.
The second chapter analyses the main determinants that can affect the functioning of the European Union as one of the key global players in the contemporary world. Being a unique and highly specific international actor, the EU is a major power in terms of economic potential and the attractiveness of its social and cultural model, but it is also a dwarf in the sphere of foreign and security policy.
The third chapter suggests an answer to the question of national identity and belonging to nation-states in an avant-garde Europe. In other words, it examines: what might the avant-garde of national identity in Europe in the XXI century be; will nationalities and simple belonging to nation-states be sufficient for Europeans; what is the vitality and the potential of pan-European identity to fill the gaps of national identity; and how the two strains of belonging relate to each other.
The fourth chapter describes how judicial bodies through their case law shaped and modeled the federal structures of government in the cases of the United States and the European Union. Through initially laying out the theoretical explanations of the significance of constitutional (judicial) review in federal structures, and elaborating on the powers and position of the Supreme Court in the United States and the Court of Justice in the European Union, the author seeks to show how these bodies influenced, in similar ways, some of the key features of these two federal organizations.
The fifth chapter argues about Europe, which as a continent has throughout its history been one of the most popular destinations for migrants and foreigners who have viewed the Old continent as a place of better social and economic possibilities. The migrant crisis has thus become a real litmus test for the EU coherence and unity.
Table of Contents
ARTICLES
Goran Ilik and Artur Adamczyk
FINALITÉ POLITIQUE OR JUST A STEP FORWARD: THE LISBON TREATY AND THE IDENTITY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A GLOBAL ACTOR, 9
Olga Barburska
THE NEW CHALLENGES VS. OLD FORMULAS: WHAT WOULD MAKE THE EUROPEAN UNION A GREATER GLOBAL PLAYER?, 26
Denica Yotova
NEW FORMS OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY IN EUROPE, 55
Andrej Stefanovic
ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY IN SHAPING FEDERATIONS: CASES OF THE SUPREME COURT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE COURT OF JUSTICE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, 74
Bedrudin Brljavac
REFUGEE CRISIS IN EUROPE: THE CASE STUDIES OF SWEDEN AND SLOVAKIA, 91
Objectives & Research Themes
The journal edition aims to analyze the current status and future perspectives of the European Union, specifically focusing on its institutional evolution, external policy, identity formation, and its capacity to act as a cohesive global actor amidst internal and external challenges such as the refugee crisis and shifting geopolitical power dynamics.
- Institutional implications of the Lisbon Treaty for the EU's identity.
- Challenges to the EU's effectiveness as a global player and the role of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
- Transformation of national identity and collective belonging in a post-national Europe.
- Comparative analysis of judicial bodies in shaping federal structures (US vs. EU).
- Impact of the refugee crisis on EU unity, solidarity, and member state responses.
Extract from the Book
DEFINING INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL IDENTITY
The difficulties of defining the international political identity of the European Union (EU) come not only from the complexity of its specific nature, but also from the complexity and specificity of this term. Identity in general implies the existence of autonomy, distinctiveness and divergence of one political entity in relation to another or other homogenous and heterogeneous political entities / actors.
In addition, the theorist Heinrich Schneider argues, “anyone in search of her or his identity will pose the question: ‘Who am I?’ With regard to collective identity the questions are: ‘Who are we? Where do we come from? Where do we go? What do we expect? What will expect us?’ But these questions really serve to clarify another, more fundamental one: Why and how can we (or must we) talk in the first person plural?” (Jansen 1999, 34). Namely, the politics of identity refers to a set of ideas and values in one political community, used to induce a state of cohesion and solidarity as precondition for building a political / international political identity.
Summary of Chapters
FINALITÉ POLITIQUE OR JUST A STEP FORWARD: THE LISBON TREATY AND THE IDENTITY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A GLOBAL ACTOR: This article evaluates whether the Lisbon Treaty is a definitive final step for EU integration or merely an intermediate phase in establishing a coherent international political identity.
THE NEW CHALLENGES VS. OLD FORMULAS: WHAT WOULD MAKE THE EUROPEAN UNION A GREATER GLOBAL PLAYER?: This paper identifies the internal and external sources of weakness in the EU's external policy and advocates for greater communitisation to enhance its global influence.
NEW FORMS OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY IN EUROPE: This research explores the evolving nature of national and pan-European identity, highlighting the tension between neonationalism and postnationalism in the 21st century.
ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY IN SHAPING FEDERATIONS: CASES OF THE SUPREME COURT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE COURT OF JUSTICE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: This comparative study demonstrates how the US Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice have similarly influenced federal or quasi-federal structures through their jurisprudence.
REFUGEE CRISIS IN EUROPE: THE CASE STUDIES OF SWEDEN AND SLOVAKIA: This article provides a comparative analysis of the divergent immigration and asylum policies of Sweden and Slovakia, using them as a litmus test for EU solidarity.
Keywords
European Union, Lisbon Treaty, international political identity, global actor, CFSP, foreign policy, communitisation, collective identity, neonationalism, federalism, judicial review, refugee crisis, solidarity, integration, migration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the overarching focus of this journal edition?
The edition focuses on the development, challenges, and future perspectives of the European Union as an international actor, particularly in the context of its institutional design, security policy, and internal cohesion.
What are the central themes discussed across the articles?
Key themes include the institutional evolution post-Lisbon Treaty, the theoretical and practical limitations of the EU as a global player, the transformation of national identities, the comparative role of judiciary in federations, and the impact of the migration crisis on European unity.
What is the primary research objective of the included papers?
The primary objective is to critically assess whether existing EU structures—such as those created by the Lisbon Treaty or those governing asylum policy—are sufficient to establish the EU as a cohesive, effective, and democratically legitimate global entity.
What scientific methods are employed in this research?
The authors employ various qualitative methods, including content analysis, comparative legal analysis of case law, and discourse analysis to interpret policy and identity trends.
What does the main part of the journal examine?
The main body examines the structural, institutional, and political factors that both enable and hinder the EU's external action, including the balance between intergovernmental cooperation and supranational integration.
Which specific keywords best characterize the work?
Essential keywords include European Union, Lisbon Treaty, international identity, global actor, communitisation, federalism, judicial review, and migrant crisis.
How does the edition address the "diarchy" in EU leadership?
The authors analyze how the dual roles of the President of the European Council and the High Representative create a potential "intrinsic dualism" or "diarchy" that complicates consistent external representation.
What contrast is drawn between the immigration responses of Sweden and Slovakia?
Sweden is presented as a case of open, humanistic, and pro-integration policy, whereas Slovakia is depicted as a case of strong rejection, driven by nationalist rhetoric and a desire to retain control over migration policy at the national level.
What role does the judiciary play in the EU’s integration?
The judiciary, through the European Court of Justice, is seen as a key driver of constitutionalization and legal integration, effectively shaping the federal characteristics of the EU legal order similar to the Supreme Court's role in the US.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Goran Ilik (Autor:in), 2017, Towards an Avant-Garde Europe. Current Status and Future Perspectives, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/538477
