How Foundational Narratives Shape European Union Politics

In this article, I distinguish between four foundational narratives about the EU and outline how they continue to shape EU politics of the present day. The foundational narratives are (1) the EU as a peace project, (2) the notion that the EU is forged in crisis, (3) the sense that deeper economic in...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: de Vries, Catherine
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:IE
Repositorio:Repositorio IE
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.ie.edu:20.500.14417/3985
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13441
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3985
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcms.13441
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:European Integration Theory
European Union
History
Narratives
59 Ciencia Política
ODS 10 - Reducción de las desigualdades
Descripción
Sumario:In this article, I distinguish between four foundational narratives about the EU and outline how they continue to shape EU politics of the present day. The foundational narratives are (1) the EU as a peace project, (2) the notion that the EU is forged in crisis, (3) the sense that deeper economic interdependence fosters political change and (4) the idea that law can replace power politics in the EU. In order for the European project to address current challenges, such as climate change, economic instability, political polarization or the rule of law crisis, I argue that Europeans need to confront their past. History is not only the recollection of events; it represents the connections that the public and elites wish to make. So, in order to develop policy solutions to cross-border issues, European contemporaries need to critically revisit past connections and to uncover blind spots. If Europeans revisit the EU's foundational narratives, they might also figure out what should change in the EU today.