Polity and Crisis ― Reflections on the European Odyssey

European integration is an open-ended, ongoing process which has been deeply challenged by integral world capitalism. This study explores the present EU foundational dilemma, looking at the problematic relationship between the ideal model of integration and the reality of the 21st century. Including contributions from leading theorists, this volume explores the ways and extent to which the present European crisis could create a politico-legal space for new possibilities and opportunities for action. The authors discuss the current role of the EU, and whether it aspires to be a democratic polity or a functional organization based on inter-governmental bargaining. The chapters question whether the future of European integration after the crisis will be paved by decisions which conflict with its Treaty basis, and how it might come up with alternatives which would do more than echo the compulsions of the global market. Issues are analysed from a historical perspective to see what can be learnt from its past and to explore the options for the future. With contributions from prominent international legal and political scholars, the book will be of interest to academics, students and policy-makers working in these areas.

Massimo Fichera is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law. He has been a member of the Centre of Excellence in Foundations of European Law and Polity Research, Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki and previously completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests lie in constitutional theory and the intersection between EU and international law. He has co-edited Law and Security in Europe: Reconsidering the Security Constitution (with Jens Kremer, Intersentia 2013). Sakari HA?nninen is Research Professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland. Prior to that he has collaborated with the Centre of Excellence in Foundations of European law and Polity Research, Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki and was Professor of Political Science at the University of JyvA?skylA?. He has written and edited more than twenty books in political theory, power analytics, welfare politics, regimes of governance and social exclusion studies, as well as articles in scientific journals. Kaarlo Tuori is Academy Professor at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law. He has published extensively in the area of legal and constitutional theory, including the monographs Critical Legal Positivism (Ashgate 2002) and Ratio and Voluntas (Ashgate 2010). He has also co-edited The Many Constitutions of Europe (with Suvi Sankari, Ashgate 2010) and co-authored The Eurozone Crisis: A Constitutional Analysis (with Klaus Tuori, Cambridge University Press 2014). He has directed the Centre of Excellence in Foundations of European Law and Polity Research (University of Helsinki) and is a member and former Vice-president of the Venice Commission.