Who Governs Europe? Actors, Coalitions and New Centres of Authority

Abstract

This panel brings together research on the shifting architecture of power in the European Union, examining how authority is negotiated, contested, and reconstructed across multiple levels of governance. The papers collectively dissect the forces that shape EU policymaking—from Franco‑German alignment in high‑stakes negotiations and the competence–control trade-offs faced by member states, to the discursive struggles over “European centrality,” the strategic behaviour of environmental coalitions, and the emerging role of transnational city networks in governing the twin transition. By bridging institutional, discursive, and network‑based perspectives, the panel illuminates how Europe’s evolving centres of authority—from national governments to EU institutions, societal coalitions, and urban actors—define the Union’s capacity to act under conditions of complexity, crisis, and contestation.

Title	Details
Bilateral underpinnings of the European Union’s collective action - How Germany and France shape Europe’s behaviour in international negotiations	View Paper Details
Who Speaks for Europe? Moving centre from Brussels to the Borders	View Paper Details
The Union Method to the Test: Assessing the Applicability of the Union Method in the Post-Lisbon Era.	View Paper Details
Governing the Twin Transition: The Role of Transnational City Networks in EU Multilevel Governance	View Paper Details