What role do crises play in the European integration process? Does the European Union have the capacity to respond to contemporary global challenges? And why has it become increasingly difficult for the EU to advance toward the goal of an ”ever-closer union”? Today, the European Union faces a growing array of complex challenges — shifts in the global balance of power, climate change, migration, or democratic backsliding. This seminar analyzes the historical, (geo)political, and institutional dimensions of the contemporary EU's development, with particular focus on how the Union responds to crises. We will explore how decisions are made, the limitations they face, and the competing scenarios that shape visions of the EU’s future. Theoretical perspectives will allow us to assess the consequences of crisis situations for the European integration process and EU’s external relations. In doing so, the seminar identifies the EU’s main approaches to ”emergency politics,” and engages with their existing critiques.
The seminar is structured into three parts. First, it introduces theoretical perspectives on crisis as an object of analysis. Should crisis be understood as an exceptional event, a structural condition of politics, or maybe a narrative that is used to shape political reality? And what is its relationship to the development of the European community? The conventional claim is that the EU is ”forged in crisis”: it responds to challenges by deepening European cooperation and increasing the decision-power of supranational actors. We will critically examine if this idea remains accurate today. Afterwards, the seminar turns to selected case studies. In the second part, students explore the EU’s position within the fractured global order, with particular attention to the War in Ukraine, the dynamics of US–China competition, and the prospects of the EU enlargement. Finally, the third part focuses on internal challenges confronting the EU, including illiberal democracy, politics of energy, and the securitization of borders.
By the end of the course, students:
- Will become empirically familiar with a number of crisis case studies such as the War in Ukraine, Politics of Energy, or Democracy Backsliding
- Can contextualize the role of crisis in the long-term development of the European Union
- Identify different types of concepts, mechanisms, and practices through which the European Union responds and builds resilience in times of crisis
- Critically evaluate theoretical perspectives on European politics and external relations
- Will be able to discuss analytical opportunities and limitations of studying p crises
As part of their coursework, students prepare a presentation (10 mins) on a chosen topic. At the end of the semester, students take an oral examination (20 mins) as part of their assessment. For students from other degree programmes, the respective study regulations apply.
Please note that the seminar takes place in English on Mondays, every second week.
Sample Literature:
Marianne Riddervold, Jarle Trondal and Akasemi Newsome (eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of EU Crises (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).
Simon Sweeney, European Union in the Global Context (2nd ed.; Abingdon: Routledge, 2024).
Contact: Adam Dargiewicz, adam.dargiewicz@uni-muenster.de
The seminar will take place in room 1.02 (Haus der Niederlande, Alter Steinweg 6-7)
- Lehrende/r: Adam Dargiewicz