The territoriality of European integration and the territorial features of the European Union: the first 50 years

Abstract

The European Union is generally presented as the most elaborated institutional form of integration ever achieved between democratic states. What the European Union really is or should be is, however, a much debated issue: a (federal) state in formation? or a new form of political governance, very much different from the modern state? Assuming that the later is describing the reality more adequately than the former, this paper explores the territoriality of European integration since the end of the Second World War, in which aftermath Western European states have embarked into the process of peaceful integration. It aims at discussing the specific territoriality of the supranational framework in which Member States partake. To emphasise differences and similarities with modern states, territoriality will be addressed through three main aspects: the territorial dimension of the integration process (e.g. the evolution of the territory under jurisdiction of the supranational authority), the territorial expression of integration in political landscapes typically linked to state territoriality: borders and capital cities.

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