Constitutional ambiguity has been an important enabler of European integration. Achim Hurrelmann argues that although this can cause problems, it often remains the best option for holding the European Union together and has shaped how the EU has responded to its recent crises.
This book reinterprets European integration as being based on the concept of “constitutional abeyances” – originally developed by Michael Foley and not previously applied to the EU – which are unresolved issues that subsequent political elites avoid politicizing to prevent conflict. Hurrelmann shows that it is a concept that can help us better understand the EU: what it is, how it works, why it sometimes does not work, and how it responds when crises hit. He shows that, although these strategies may be criticized, they ultimately have contributed to the EU’s resilience in face of the crises over the euro, migration and rule of law.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: rethinking European integration from a constitutional abeyance perspective
1. The concept of constitutional abeyances
2. Constitutional abeyances in the history of European integration
3. Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the euro crisis
4. EU border and asylum governance and the refugee crisis
5. EU citizenship and democratic values and the rule of law crisis
6. Constitutional abeyances in EU crisis governance
Concluding reflections: can the EU survive as an unidentified political object?
About the Author :
Achim Hurrelmann is Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Centre for European Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. His recent books include European Union Governance and Policy-Making: A Canadian Perspective (co-editor) (2nd edition, 2023) and The Legitimacy of Regional Integration in Europe and the Americas (co-editor) (2015).
