From Class-Based Project to Imperial Formation: European Union Law and the Reconstruction of Europe

Abstract

This chapter reads some key developments in EU law and thinks about the role of law in the European project with reference to existing Marxist analyses of European integration. In particular, it offers a brief snapshot of the historical interconnections between EU law and the reproduction of capitalist social relations, as well as the specific ways in which EU law played a role in the reconstitution of European capitalism after the Second World War. Its overall argument is that Marxist analyses of EU law have much to contribute to our understanding of European integration, especially its historical development and its juridico-political specificity. They could also assist in the process of articulating strategies and visions of transnational and international solidarity that could transcend the imperialist legacies and nature of Europe's 'peace' project.