The European Union and the challenge of ‘independence in Europe’: Straddling between (formal) neutrality and (actual) support for member-states’ territorial integrity

IF 1.7 Q2 POLITICAL SCIENCE

Regional and Federal Studies Pub Date : 2021-08-19 DOI:10.1080/13597566.2021.1967326

E. Massetti

引用次数: 4

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the last decade, regionalist forces have been testing the limits of the EU multi-level system by making concrete bids to ‘Independence in Europe’. This article investigates the reaction of the EU institutions in the cases of Scotland and Catalonia. The analysis, based on archive research and elite interviews, points to a certain ambiguity in the behaviour of EU institutions, whereby a claimed neutrality is contradicted by declarations that clearly help the defence of member-states’ territorial integrity. This strategy is applied by all EU political institutions – intergovernmental and supranational alike – and to both analysed cases, independently of whether the independence process is considered legal (Scotland) or illegal (Catalonia). The implementation of this strategy is strengthened by party connections between member-states’ PMs and presidents of EU institutions.

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欧盟和“欧洲独立”的挑战:介于(正式的)中立和(实际的)支持成员国领土完整之间

在过去的十年中，地区主义势力一直在通过对“欧洲独立”的具体投标来测试欧盟多层次体系的极限。本文考察了欧盟机构在苏格兰和加泰罗尼亚问题上的反应。这份基于档案研究和精英访谈的分析指出，欧盟机构的行为存在某种模糊性，即宣称的中立与明确有助于捍卫成员国领土完整的声明相矛盾。这一策略适用于所有欧盟政治机构——无论是政府间机构还是超国家机构——也适用于上述两种分析案例，而不管独立进程是合法的(苏格兰)还是非法的(加泰罗尼亚)。成员国总理和欧盟机构主席之间的党派关系，加强了这一战略的实施。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Regional and Federal Studies POLITICAL SCIENCE-

CiteScore

3.80

自引率

21.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The upsurge of academic and political interest in regional and federal questions since the 1980s has been stimulated by the salience of regions in EU policy-making and the Structural Funds but also by regionalization and federalization processes in many Western states. The most striking example is the devolution occurring in the UK, but the process is at work all over Europe and in other parts of the world. These developments have led to many important research programmes and projects. Regional and Federal Studies is a refereed social science journal which provides an academic forum for the publication of international research on these issues. It is essential reading for both academics and practitioners in politics, administration and the business world.