Polity and Crisis

European integration is an open-ended, ongoing process which has been deeply challenged by integral world capitalism. This study explores the present EU foundational dilemma, looking at the problematic relationship between the ideal model of integration and the reality of the 21st century. Including contributions from leading theorists, this volume explores the ways and extent to which the present European crisis could create a politico-legal space for new possibilities and opportunities for action. The authors discuss the current role of the EU, and whether it aspires to be a democratic polity or a functional organization based on inter-governmental bargaining. The chapters question whether the future of European integration after the crisis will be paved by decisions which conflict with its Treaty basis, and how it might come up with alternatives which would do more than echo the compulsions of the global market. Issues are analysed from a historical perspective to see what can be learnt from its past and to explore the options for the future. With contributions from prominent international legal and political scholars, the book will be of interest to academics, students and policy-makers working in these areas.

"Much has been written on the Euro crisis over the last few years but most has had a reactive, breathless quality. This collection, featuring some of the most established scholars on European integration and some interesting new thinkers, is the best attempt yet to situate the crisis, and all possible responses to the crisis, squarely within the broader legal, political, economic and historical context of European supranationalism. It is a book that all serious EU scholars should have on their shelves, and also a fascinating and accessible resource for those seeking to learn about contemporary Europe and its tribulations." - Neil Walker, University of Edinburgh, UK "A choral volume rich in insights where the reader will find genuinely different diagnoses of the European crises from a wealth of disciplinary and normative viewpoints. A powerful challenge to the status quo on European studies." - Agustín José Menéndez, University of León, Spain, and ARENA, University of Oslo, Norway "This book provides an inter-disciplinary, multi-national, trans-generational account of the state of the Union. The multi-faceted pluralism has its common inspirational background in the work of the Helsinki Centre of Excellence in the Foundations of European Law. It is both an accomplishment of and a tribute to the Centre's renowned Director, Kaarlo Tuori." - Christian Joerges, Hertie School of Governance, Germany

Massimo Fichera is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law. He has been a member of the Centre of Excellence in Foundations of European Law and Polity Research, Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki and previously completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests lie in constitutional theory and the intersection between EU and international law. He has co-edited Law and Security in Europe: Reconsidering the Security Constitution (with Jens Kremer, Intersentia 2013). Sakari Hänninen is Research Professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland. Prior to that he has collaborated with the Centre of Excellence in Foundations of European law and Polity Research, Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki and was Professor of Political Science at the University of Jyväskylä. He has written and edited more than twenty books in political theory, power analytics, welfare politics, regimes of governance and social exclusion studies, as well as articles in scientific journals. Kaarlo Tuori is Academy Professor at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law. He has published extensively in the area of legal and constitutional theory, including the monographs Critical Legal Positivism (Ashgate 2002) and Ratio and Voluntas (Ashgate 2010). He has also co-edited The Many Constitutions of Europe (with Suvi Sankari, Ashgate 2010) and co-authored The Eurozone Crisis: A Constitutional Analysis (with Klaus Tuori, Cambridge University Press 2014). He has directed the Centre of Excellence in Foundations of European Law and Polity Research (University of Helsinki) and is a member and former Vice-president of the Venice Commission.