Exploring the EU’s Legitimacy Crisis: The Dark Heart of Europe (New Horizons in European Politics series) - Hardcover

Schweiger, Christian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1784717843 ISBN 13: 9781784717841

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2016

Synopsis

Exploring the EU's Legitimacy Crisis provides a profound analysis of the causes and the consequences of the EU's growing legitimacy problem. Since the onset of the eurozone crisis the EU's governance has been narrowly driven by the semi-hegemonial leadership of Germany - manifesting itself in functionalist and technocratic policy reforms concentrated on strengthening economic governance coordination. Other crucial policy areas have been neglected as member states show decreasing solidarity and a growing emphasis on national interests in response to mounting external challenges. This book examines these developments in detail by scrutinising the EU's ability to maintain legitimacy through political leadership, democratic accountability and governance efficiency.

This state-of-the-art exploration of the EU's internal and external challenges, including the eurozone and the migration crisis, provides critical analysis of the EU's leadership in the context of diverging national interests. The author outlines the essential background to understanding the rise in euroscepticism in the EU and provides an insightful analysis of the 2014 European Parliament election Spitzenkandidaten system.

A comprehensive critical analysis of the latest developments in the EU's major policy areas in terms of their problem-solving capacity and democratic legitimacy is also included. This timely exploration of the reality of the EU's governance in light of persistent crises will appeal to students, academics and practitioners interested in the development of the EU, its member states and European politics more generally.

About this title

About the Author

Christian Schweiger, Breitenbrunn State Academy of Cooperative Education, Dual University of Saxony, Germany

Edition details

• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1784717843
• ISBN 13: 9781784717841
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 296