Beyond Nationalism : Acting and thinking for the common good in the European Union

Abstract

<p>This book presents the most comprehensive theory of the common good of the European Union (EU) currently available and proposes concrete policies to improve its achievement. It begins with a discussion of EU values, which are seen to provide a basis for identifying a transnational common good. The author discusses the distinctive nature of the EU common good, which he associates with three main conditions: maintaining liberal democracy, enabling decent standards of social welfare, and ensuring a high level of environmental protection. Relying on a constructivist understanding of national interests, the author recommends a set of reforms that would allow the EU common good to be more strongly represented in the process of national interest formation in domestic politics. At the same time, he proposes significant changes in the Brussels institutional apparatus with a view to democratising the pursuit of the common good, including the creation of an EU Citizens’ Assembly and the election of the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council. Furthermore, this book argues that a willingness by EU citizens to recurrently sacrifice their interests for the sake of an EU common good would require stronger bonds of civic friendship among them. The author proposes several policies to achieve this goal, including reducing socioeconomic inequalities in the EU, curtailing barriers against freedom of movement and creating a transnational curriculum on EU citizenship.</p>