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The future of differentiated integration: a ‘soft-core,’ multi-clustered Europe of overlapping policy communities

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Comparative European Politics Aims and scope

Abstract

In lieu of a conclusion to the Special Issue, this article discusses the future of Europe as one of differentiated integration. It argues that this future takes the form of member-states’ overlapping participation in the EU’s many policy communities, making for a soft-core Europe, as an alternative option to the hard-core around the Eurozone. The article contends that this multi-clustered Europe is the only feasible future, given the challenges facing the EU from its many crises, its problems of governance, and the difficulties of decision-making against a background of increasing politicization. But such differentiation is not without its problems, given EU decision-rules, the interconnectedness of policy arenas that can spell problems of spillover, and the need for deeper integration in some policy areas (e.g., migration) while others may benefit from less or more highly differentiated integration (e.g., Eurozone). Institutional reforms would also be necessary to ensure a positive future of differentiated integration: While the EU would continue to require a single set of institutions, it would need modified decision-rules to allow for more (and less) differentiation depending upon the area.

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Notes

  1. ‘The Rome Declaration: Declaration of the leaders of 27 member states and of the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission’, http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/25-romedeclaration/.

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Acknowledgements

Previous versions of this paper were presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings in Boston (Aug 30–Sept 2, 2018) and at the Special Issue workshop at the School of Government, LUISS Guido Carli, March 19–20, 2018. I would like to thank Mark Pollack, Carlo Bastasin, and the special issue participants for their valuable comments. Additional thanks go to the reviewers for CEP.

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  1. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, 154 Bay State Road, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Vivien A. Schmidt

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Schmidt, V.A. The future of differentiated integration: a ‘soft-core,’ multi-clustered Europe of overlapping policy communities. Comp Eur Polit 17, 294–315 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41295-019-00164-7

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