Redefining Europe (At the Interface Probing the Boundaries 25) (At the Interface Probing the Boundaries)

On May 1, 2004, the European Union expanded dramatically. Ten new countries on the periphery of the old union were absorbed, changing the EU in many ways. How can we redefine Europe now? What is its meaning? Is “Europe” just a theoretical concept or, worse yet, merely a small geographical region? Or, on the contrary, is Europe re-emerging as a Western civilization of its own, a North Atlantic partner? Many scholars believe that federalism should play the central role as 25 member states seek to cooperate fully while simultaneously retaining their sovereignty. This volume, with new and thought-provoking contributions by leading experts, clarifies the issues and proposes ways in which federalism can rescue and preserve the new Europe. Contents: Joseph DREW: Introduction: Redefining Europe Maiken UMBACH: Federalism in Europe: History and Future Options Isabel DAVID: From Dialectics to Political Theology: Rethinking Complexity in Federalism Xenophon CONTIADES: The Democratic Principle as an Organisational Basis of the European Union Fausto CAPELLI: The European Union’s Institutional System as the Basis of a New form of Democracy Mark GYANDOH: Incorporating the Principle of Co-Equal Branches into the European Constitution: Lessons to be Learned from the United States Joelle Anne SCHMITZ: Institutional Redress of the Democratic Deficit: Federalism within the Democracy-efficiency Continuum Zoran OKLOPÈIÆ: Constituent Power and Polity Legitimacy in the European Context: A Theoretical Sketch David Adam LANDAU and Lisa VANHALA: Circumventing the State? The Demands of Stateless Nations, National Minorities, and the European Constitution Mirella EBERTS: The Catholic Church and Poland’s Accession to the European Union Julia M. WHITE: Inclusive Education as a Human Right and the Slovakia’s Accession to the European Union Tom HUDGENS: The US Must Merge with the EU Joseph DREW: Conclusion Contributors