The EU under Strain?

When EU member states signed the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, they did not anticipate the manifold crises in store for them over the following years. Instead of the intended consolidation of a Union which had just gone through its most profound modernisation and biggest round of enlargements, the EU has since then had to weather a wide range of political, economic, social, legal, health and even military crises with major repercussions within and beyond its own territory.

Indeed, this time of polycrisis has induced change on many levels: Across the continent and its many fora of European supra-, trans- and international collaboration, established institutions, rule systems and normative frameworks have been put into question and power balances have been shifting. Against this background, actors from social, political, economic and cultural life have sought new ways to overcome the manifold pressing problems of their time, be it through intensified collaboration or attempts to increasingly resolve issues at the national level.　

This volume offers a compilation of case studies on EU crisis responses, covering the most impactful of the various crises the EU has had to face in recent years. It provides theoretical and conceptual guidelines for the study of political actors’ responses to crisis at all levels of the EU multilevel governance system and beyond.

• An overview of the most important events and developments shaping today’s EU policies and politics
• Presentation of a framework for empirical research on the EU, its institutions and policies under crisis conditions and in the face of challenges

Mechthild Roos holds a position as Lecturer in Comparative Politics at Augsburg University, Germany. Her research focuses on the political regulation of vulnerable groups’ (and especially forced migrants’) health and healthcare access across Europe. She has furthermore studied the institutional evolution of the European Parliament from its very beginnings as a prime example of supranational activism, and Parliament’s role in establishing and shaping a European social dimension.

Daniel Schade is an Assistant Professor in International and European Union Studies at Leiden University. His research focuses on the EU in a regional and global perspective, considering how diverse aspects of its foreign policy, such as trade, security and development cooperation interact. He also studies the evolution of the EU’s institutional superstructure amidst the increasing politicization of European affairs.

"The EU under Strain is an impressive collection of essays on how the last decade and a half of seemingly permanent crises have shaped the politics and policies of the European Union. Mechthild Roos and Daniel Schade managed to do something rare for any edited volume: to bring together a variety of scholarly perspectives and have them contribute to a coherent theoretical framework and research agenda. Any student of European integration will greatly benefit from reading it."

Matthias Matthijs, Johns Hopkins University & Council on Foreign Relations (Washington, DC)

"Mechthild Roos and Daniel Schade have brought together an impressive group of scholars in this volume to explore Europe’s multiple crises. It will be essential reading for those who want to understand the impact of a decade plus of crises in the EU as a polity and system of public policy making."

Professor Brigid Laffan, European University Institute, Florence.