Beyond the Regulatory Polity? The European Integration of Core State Powers

According to conventional wisdom, the EU is strong in European market making but weak in essential 'core state powers' such as military security, fiscal policy and public administration. The book challenges this view. It shows that the EU interferes extensively in the exercise of core state powers but in a way that does not constitute it as a state in its own right. In contrast to historical integration processes in nation states, the European integration of corestate powers proceeds mostly by regulation and does not involve the creation of genuine European armed forces, taxes or public administration. And it does not enhance European unity but may actuallyundermine it - as the recent Euro crisis testifies.