Aims and structure of this course

European Union governance faces a catch-22 situation. On the one hand, the EU is presented with an increasing set of pressing systemic challenges requiring coordinated responses: climate change, energy transition, biodiversity loss, public health, migration policy, sustainable economic growth and defense cooperation. These challenges increasingly touch upon core state powers: highly salient areas of domestic high politics.

On the other hand, European integration meets with increasing contestation at the national level, deeply embedded politico-institutional differences between its member states, and deepening cleavages on key issues like rule of law, migration, and the role of the state in economic policy. This course allows students, firstly, to trace this catch-22 situation’s origins by dissecting the Janus-face character of EU public opinion, especially in the realm of core state powers, and analyzing current political cleavages in the European Union and political leaders’ role in shaping these.

Secondly, the course allows students to understand the political and administrative implications of this catch-22 situation and potential responses in the following realms: the EU’s inter-institutional balance, the European Commission’s responses to politicization, domestic parliamentary and executive attempts to claw back control over European integration, EU crisis governance, non-compliance and strategies for improving EU policy delivery.

In addition to these substantive objectives, participants will have the opportunity to present and discuss their project ideas in the group, and receive feedback on these from the course coordinator.

To attend the course, participants are expected to have a basic level of understanding (BA at least) of EU governance and theories of European integration. In case participants lack this background knowledge, the course instructor can provide reading suggestions beforehand.