EU Politics

Current Research in the Field of European Integration – crisis, conflicts and compromise? The European Union is nowadays facing increasing pressure to master substantial challenges, both internally and on the international stage. Criticism and the demand for alternatives grow steadily. It is now being questioned if the former European ‘peace project' is able to resume. Currently we are experiencing limitations of the system and welfare state achievements are increasingly under strain. Once a symbol of the European integration progress, the common currency now leads to friction between Member States. The European Union, which has always been in flux, has been put to a serious test. Many doctoral students engage in European Integration research. They are confronted with a broad and comprehensive topic area which involves multiple levels of analysis. From European Integration theories to very practical processes, researchers in this field should be fully aware of all the key aspects of European Integration and EU Governance. Therefore, a Section on European Integration research at the ECPR Conference is a great opportunity to enable an exchange among students working on similar projects. The aims of the Section are to gain a deep insight of the present challenges and difficulties facing the EU and to deepen the knowledge on specific topics related to European Integration. By considering and reflecting on those relevant issues, new methods of solution related to the economic crisis can also be developed. Researchers will also have the opportunity to present preliminary results of their work. Some ideas for Panels and Papers: • EU as a political system: There could be a panel including papers on the historical background of the EU, its decision-making processes, the different EU treaties and the function of the EU institutions. • Different European policies: Papers related to all different policy areas of the EU could be presented in this panel. • European Integration Theories: This Panel could include papers on the theoretical level of the European Integration. • Economic and Monetary Union: Issues from the beginning of the common currency to the economic crisis could be discussed in this panel. • Europeanization: all different effects of Europeanization could be included in such a panel. • Participation in the EU: This panel could deal with possibilities of participation-processes in the EU. • A panel could also focus on the EU in the realm of global governance.