Does membership of the EU inevitably undermine national sovereignty
Does membership of the European Union inevitably undermine national sovereignty?
Table of contents:
1) Introduction 2-3
2) Treaties 3
3) European Institutions 4-7
4) European Monetary Union 8
5) Conclusion 9
6) Appendix 10-11
7) Bibliography 12
Introduction
The establishment of the European Union (EU) has its foundations of integration belonging to an economic community: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) 1950.1 There has been a cycle of support, peaking in the 1990 at 71% and the lowest of 48% in 2004, as measured by the Eurobarometer 2. There is a clear divide between people who support the EU and Eurosceptics. Support for the EU can be encapsulated by Herman Van Rompuy, president if the European Council, ‘The age of the nation state is over and the idea that countries can stand alone is an ‘illusion’ and a ‘lie’’3 Eurosceptics on the other hand argue for the remodelling of the EU or the rejection of. Most notably the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) have stated in their manifesto that they wish to exit the EU as, ‘It does mean the end of Britain as an independent European state. It means the end of a thousand years of history.’4 This is a case of hard euroscepticism, as Taggart and Szcerbiak established, as opposed to soft euroscepticism which focuses upon remodelling. Therefore integration of the EU has caused a larger rift between those who support and those who do not.
The second part to the statement posed is the notion of ‘national sovereignty’. But what is national sovereignty? As former British Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, stated, ‘Sovereignty is not like virginity, which you either have or you don’t… it is a resource to be used, rather than a constraint that limits our capacity for action.’5 Thus, sovereignty is perceived to be the ability for a nation to act however it deems fit politically, economically and socially within its territory. The
Table of contents:
1) Introduction 2-3
2) Treaties 3
3) European Institutions 4-7
4) European Monetary Union 8
5) Conclusion 9
6) Appendix 10-11
7) Bibliography 12
Introduction
The establishment of the European Union (EU) has its foundations of integration belonging to an economic community: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) 1950.1 There has been a cycle of support, peaking in the 1990 at 71% and the lowest of 48% in 2004, as measured by the Eurobarometer 2. There is a clear divide between people who support the EU and Eurosceptics. Support for the EU can be encapsulated by Herman Van Rompuy, president if the European Council, ‘The age of the nation state is over and the idea that countries can stand alone is an ‘illusion’ and a ‘lie’’3 Eurosceptics on the other hand argue for the remodelling of the EU or the rejection of. Most notably the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) have stated in their manifesto that they wish to exit the EU as, ‘It does mean the end of Britain as an independent European state. It means the end of a thousand years of history.’4 This is a case of hard euroscepticism, as Taggart and Szcerbiak established, as opposed to soft euroscepticism which focuses upon remodelling. Therefore integration of the EU has caused a larger rift between those who support and those who do not.
The second part to the statement posed is the notion of ‘national sovereignty’. But what is national sovereignty? As former British Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, stated, ‘Sovereignty is not like virginity, which you either have or you don’t… it is a resource to be used, rather than a constraint that limits our capacity for action.’5 Thus, sovereignty is perceived to be the ability for a nation to act however it deems fit politically, economically and socially within its territory. The
Bibliography: Caporasso, J and Cowles, M.G and Risse, T (2001). Transforming Europe. Cornell University : Cornell University Pas. 1-13, 198-237. Cowles, M. Dinan, D (2004). Developments in the European Union, Palgrave Macmillan. p.7. Keohane, R.O (2002). Ironies of sovereignty: the European Union and the United States. JCMS 40(4), pp. 748-749. McCormick, J (2011). Understanding the European Union. 5th ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 74-101. Munch, R (2010). European Governmentality. Devon: Routledge. 38-90. Weiler, J. H.H, and Kocjan, M. (2004/5). EUROPEAN COMMUNITY SYSTEM: THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND THE BASICS OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION. P. 14, Article B. Casey, Theo. "Should Britain Join the Euro? No, No, No!" Should Britain Join the Euro? No, No, No! (2008) http://www.rogerhelmer.com/fleetstreetletter.asp GAITSKELL. H. On Britain joining the European Community. Labour Party conference speech, Oct. http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/britain