Introduction

Abstract

This edited volume is the third in a series from the Centre for European Union Studies (CEUS) in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull. The first, Leaderless Europe, edited by Jack Hayward, appeared in 2008 before the onset of the financial crisis that further exposed the institutional weaknesses previously analysed in an historical perspective. It demonstrated their deep seated nature. The second, The European Union as a Leader in International Climate Change Politics, edited by Rüdiger Wurzel and James Connelly, published in 2011, presented a more dynamic and positive view of EU leadership in environmental policy. European Disunion returns to the EU incapacity, pinpointed particularly by the eurozone crisis, to act expeditiously and decisively. It places these failings in the broader context of a pervasive tension between the democratic demands of national sovereignty and the functional imperatives of solidarity in dealing with collective predicaments. The draft papers presented at a workshop in Hull on 30 September/1 October 2011 were revised to produce a more cohesive and updated volume in a fast evolving context.