The Emergence of a European Sovereignty

In: Government & opposition: an international journal of comparative politics, Band 9, Heft 1, S. 79-95

Abstract

THE FACT THAT A PARALLEL CAN BE DRAWN BETWEEN THE PROCESS of European integration and an emerging sovereignty illustrates the political nature of European integration. No matter what definitions of sovereignty are used – and we will come back to that – it is clear that the European Community has one fundamental characteristic: it is a framework within which an attempt is being made to translate into action, through an institutional process, a complex of economic, social, and human aspirations. If politics consist in making possible what is desirable, then the Community does indeed deal with politics. What is important is the degree of originality and autonomy in the community, rather than references to such notions as 'subject to international law' or 'political recognition'. Much has been written on the concept of sovereignty and on various aspects of its changing nature.