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Introduction: The Predicaments of Differentiation

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Contesting Political Differentiation

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the topicality and predicament of political differentiation in Europe. It presents the development of a differentiated Europe, and sets out some ways to conceptualise the phenomenon. The chapter looks at how differentiation has become increasingly entrenched in the legal framework of the EU, as several treaties have formalised possibilities for both enhanced cooperation and opt-outs or exceptions. Then, it introduces some potential negative effects of political differentiation, and how it can lead to dominance or arbitrary rule. Lastly, the chapter gives an overview of book.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands—who, with France, West Germany and Italy, formed the ‘inner six’ of the original European communities—have already expressed their support (Boffey and Rankin 2017).

  2. 2.

    The Visegrád group—comprising Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia—is already alarmed (Wintour 2017).

  3. 3.

    For an overview of political differentiation , see Leruth and Lord (2015) and De Witte et al. (2017). For the political science debate see Fabbrini (2015), Schimmelfennig (2014), Leuffen et al. (2013), Piris (2012), Lord (2017), Fossum (2015), Genschel and Jachtenfuchs (2016), Fossum and Graver (2017), and Eriksen and Fossum (2015). See further Kreuder-Sonnen (2016), Schwarzer (2015), Verdun (2015), and Niemann and Ioannou (2015). For some legal approaches to political differentiation see Avbelj (2013), De Witte et al. (2017), Brunkhorst (2014), Menéndez (2013), White (2015), Joerges (2014), Somek (2015), and Tuori and Tuori (2014). See also Levy, Pensky and Torpey (2005).

  4. 4.

    The European Social Charter of the Council of Europe is referred to in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the Treaty on European Union (TEU) as one of the sources inspiring the social objectives of the EU (European Union 2012).

  5. 5.

    ‘[T]he lead on measures to address the Euro crisis has been taken by the European Council, and by Germany and France acting partly within the European Council and partly through bilateral discussion’ (Craig 2014: 36–37).

  6. 6.

    Article 50(1) TEU states that ‘[a]ny Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements’ (European Union 2012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Erik O. Eriksen

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  1. Erik O. Eriksen
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Correspondence to Erik O. Eriksen .

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Eriksen, E.O. (2019). Introduction: The Predicaments of Differentiation. In: Contesting Political Differentiation. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11698-9_1

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