Debate and Implementation of European Intergration: Federalism v. School of Sovereignty
Author: Yu-chun Lan
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
This essay aims to clarify and explore the complex, contradictory nature of the always on-going European integration, by comparing the conflicting debates over the European Union, and decoding the implication of EU’s important facts. The Chapter of theoretic argument is focused on two conceptual forces that dictate over five decades on the scene: the European federalism trying to build another new political structure beyond the status quo, and the realist-intergovernmentalism defending the sovereignty and resilience of the nation-state. The Chapter of the practices is concentrated on the meaning and impact of some representative implementations. We can find that these two conceptual forces maintain a kind of delicate equilibrium on the institutional interact, and each one has its privileged operational points, whether in the juridical mechanism or eco-political dimension. In conclusion, the author has some findings and reflections: the ‘turbo effect’ of the future development of the EU, some reference indices of observation, and some logical paradox deriving from the phenomenon of the European integration.