Session 2: Executive federalism and politicisation in the European Union before and during COVID-19

Lecturer: Dr Alvaro Oleart

This lecture departs from the political response to COVID-19 in the European Union, and suggests that ‘executive federalism’ (see Crum, 2013) is normatively problematic. The lecture explores previous incidents of EU politicisation, such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, in order to understand the institutional opposition deficit of the EU. Throughout the lecture, we will discuss how politicisation should be seen as a symptom of the ‘normal’ politics of a democratic polity, as it enlarges the political arena by embedding European issues into national political debates. Demands that ‘another Europe is possible’ empower rather than hinder the legitimacy of the EU. This analytical perspective is then mobilised in order to make sense of the future of EU integration in general, and the Conference on the Future of Europe in particular.

 

Pre-attendance materials:

• Crum, B. (2013). Saving the Euro at the Cost of Democracy? Journal of common market studies, 51(4), 614-630.
• Bouza, L. and Oleart, A. (2018). From the 2005 Constitution’s ‘permissive consensus’ to TTIP’s ‘empowering dissensus’: The EU as a playing field for Spanish civil society. Journal of Contemporary European Research, 14(2), 87-104.
• Podcast series ‘Europe after coronavirus’.

 

Specific Learning Outcomes:

• Define and use the concept of ‘executive federalism’ in the EU context.
• Apply various concepts and theories to concrete cases of EU politics and policymaking
• Make sense of current debates about the future of Europe and the role of politicisation.

 

* After attending this lecture students will receive a Certificate of Attendance upon request