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Introduction.EuropeanPoliciesandChangeintheEUIntegrationModel
Secondly,thecircumstancesofthecrisisalsosawtechnocraticinstitutions,e.g.
theEuropeanCommissionandtheECBgainmoreformalandinformalpowers.In
thecaseoftheCommission,thisresultedfromtheendeavourtotightencontrolover
MemberStates’budgetarypolicies,intheso-calledunegativefiscalfederalism.”This
wasmostlyduetoGermandemandsrelatedtothecombatingofthecrisis.TheECB,in
turn,enteredthefiscalpolicyarea,asitwere,uthroughthebackdoor,”takingadvantage
ofthecriticalsituationintheeuroarea.Bothinstitutionshavebeensubjecttostrong
politicisation,i.e.politicalpressurefromthegovernmentsofthelargeststates,with
theresultthattheautonomyoftheinstitutionswasreduced,withthelatterbecoming
moresubordinatedthanbeforetothecountriesholdingacentralpositioninthepolitical
systeminEurope(Jabko,2014:138).ThisrendersthetwoEuropeaninstitutionsin
questioninstrumentsofpowerofthemostpowerfulcountries,helpingthemtoexert
influenceonothercountries,andintegrationprocessesoccurringinboththeEMU
andtheentireEU.ItisworthmentioningthatthecrisisdidnotstrengthentheEPor
theCourtofJusticeoftheEuropeanUnion.Tothecontrary,itundercuttheconcept
offederalismbasedonaregulatorysystem(Kelemen,2011)orhinderedthepossibility
ofEuropebeingledinthedirectionofafulldemocraticfederation.
Third,wewouldliketosuggestthattheperiodofcrisispresentedanopportunity
tostrengthensegmentationprocessesinEurope(alsoreferredtoastheutwo-speed
Europe”mechanism).Thesourceoftheseprocesseswastheneedtotacklethecommon
currencycrisisandthedesiretoimprovegovernanceinboththeEurozoneandtheEU
asawhole.Themeasuresinvolvedalsohadsignificantgeopoliticalgrounds,revealed
wellbeforethecrisis.TheycorrespondtothegreatestextentwiththeFrenchagenda,
aimedatapermanentdivisionintodifferentintegrationcircles,whichissupposed
tostrengthenthepositionofthepoliticalcentre(ortheEuropeancore)andfacilitate
governanceoftheoutercircleoftheEUbythiscentre.
Withreferencetothesethreepoliticalprocesses,anumberofresearchquestions
canbeasked.Firstofall,arethesechangespermanentortemporary,i.e.willtheir
durationbelimitedtotheperiodofcrisis?Itneedstobekeptinmindhowitismore
andmorethecasethatthechangesdiscussednotonlyextendtoinformalpolitics
pursuedinEurope,butarealsostrengthenedbypermanentandformalisedlegal
institutionsandsolutionsaddressingthecrisis.Additionally,itshouldbeestablished
whetherthetrendsinquestionreferonlytotheeuroarea(ortoeconomicgovernance
asconceivedbroadly),oralsotootherEuropeanpolicies.Thisiswhythepurposeof
ourresearchisanalysisofselectedpolicyareas,andanattempttoverifytheexistence
ofthethreepoliticalprocessesdiscussedabove.Itisparticularlyinterestingtostudy
thepowerplaybetweenintergovernmentalismandsupranationalism(understood
mostlyasthetrendforpowerstobedelegatedtotechnocraticinstitutions)inthose
policies.Inthehistoricalperspective,areintegrationprocessesaimedatmutualcycles
betweentheincreaseintechnocraticgovernanceandthelaterureinstatementofpower”
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