European Integration

The European Integration Research Group aims to link insights from various academic disciplines at the University of Groningen to better understand the processes of European integration and to come to a comprehensive analysis of its potential and challenges. The integration process is far from linear; it shows peaks and valleys, and occasionally even disintegration.

Focus

This research group focuses on processes of European integration from – inter alia – legal, political, sociological, philosophical and economic perspectives.

Legal scholars largely focus on the legal competences of the Union and the legal role of the EU’s institutions. Their aim is to make sense of the values, principles and rules that were agreed upon by providing interpretations of those norms as well as of the judgments of courts.

Experts in European Studies (ES) and International Relations (IR) are also interested in the working and design of European institutions, but their focus is largely on either theoretical explanations of processes and events, or on understanding and explaining the choices that are made by the EU and other international organizations and their Member States.

Sociologists would be more interested in the effects on and the formation of societies.

In the context of European integration, political philosophers focus on themes such as democracy, transnational compromise, supranational and federal governance and global justice, which are central to many legal and political developments in European integration.

Economists have also always been crucial to understanding the European integration process. Economic perspectives play a major role in current debates about European financial and monetary governance, for example with regard to the stability of the Eurozone, and about the European Union’s global role in for instance international trade agreements.

Combined perspectives

This research group combines these legal, political, sociological, philosophical and economic perspectives to analyse the main challenges and opportunities for European integration. By combining these perspectives, the research group aims to provide a platform for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary cooperation among experts on European integration at the University of Groningen.