210153 SE BAK 11: SE Europäische Union und Europäisierung (2017S)

Crises are nothing new to the European integration process. Each decade has had its own fair share of crises that have contributed to the flexibility/complexity of the Union we have today. This experience has contributed to the adage that the EU has always managed to emerge stronger from said crises. Recently this dictum seems to have lost its glitter and many are not inclined to share in its assurance. Since the burst of the housing market bubble in the US, the EU has been hit by a wave of different, interconnected and apparently mutually reinforcing crises. They have created a 'particularly toxic brand of complex problems' and solutions offered range from more supranational action to a retreat to national sovereignty.
This seminar aims at answering questions on the effects the crises have on the European integration process. Three levels will be highlighted: EU institutions/policies, its member states as well as selected EU policies with a global reach. Completion of the seminar will enable students to have a broader understanding of the role of the EU as well as the challenges it currently faces.