Describe the theoretical arguments that emerged between the proponents of intergovernmentalism and those of a more supranational persuasion. Given the recent shocks within the EU, to what extent have the proponents of intergovernmentalism won the argument? Discuss.
Introduction
The preamble of the treaty of the European Union mentions a resolve “…. to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity”. There is no doubt that in the years since its foundation, the European Union has indeed become “ever closer”, but the structure of this “ever closer union”, and the direction in which it is going,…show more content… With this in mind, it is necessary to look beyond a simple either/or approach to European integration. Giumelli (2013) states that it would be most appropriate to use the term “supranational intergovernmentalism” when describing the sanctioning policy of the EU and understanding trends in the decision-making process of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
Elaborating on this, it is necessary to look at the theories of intergovernmentalism and supranationalism as more of a scale than a divide, and in order to discuss the extent to which the proponents of intergovernmentalism have “won” the argument, we must consider that supranational traits exist within the European Union, and the debate may be more relevantly described as whether the EU is an example of supranational intergovernmentalism or intergovernmental supranationalism!
Debate- key…show more content… Within Europe, the Greek debt crisis in 2009, driven by heavy borrowing, and in turn higher interest rate demand for Greek bonds led to a major crisis point for the European Union as a whole. By 2010, Greece risked defaulting on its public debt, with Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy also seen has having high unsustainable levels of debt. This tested the European Union to the extreme and the limitations of European Governance have been highlighted as a result. “Bail-out” loans from the EU and IMF imposed strict austerity measures on these countries. European economic policy has thus become increasingly important, whilst coinciding with an upsurge in criticism of the democratic process within the European Union. EU leaders have been forced to contend with both the euros viability in the future and the question of further European integration, both in depth and