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RESEARCH PRODUCT

A Differentiated European Union

Benjamin LeruthStefan GänzleJarle Trondal

subject

BrexitPolitical sciencePolitical economyEuropean integrationmedia_common.cataloged_instanceEuropean unionmedia_common

description

Differentiation in the EU has substantially increased. It does not only refer to instances of (differentiation in) integration, but also (potential) disintegration. Differentiation can often be causally traced back to crises, yet it should not be equated with ‘crisis’. However, the literature has only scarcely discussed the putative link between crisis and differentiated integration. Fundamentally, demands for differentiation need to be treated as both a cause and an effect of integration. Thus, differentiation should be acknowledged as a persistent feature of European integration. The chapter discusses the development of differentiation in European integration and reflects upon the scholarly debate on ‘differentiated Europe’. Delimiting the confines of differentiated (dis)integration as a study field in EU studies, we argue that Brexit provides a key instance of (differentiated) disintegration.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2020-12-22
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51791-5_40