European Integration

Course goals

• Knowledge of European Integration through a specifically political-geographical lens, including on the role of spatial imaginaries and spatial inequalities within political mobilization
• Insight into the functioning of European institutions and how decision-makin processes are shaped by and in turn shape spatial inequalities
• Experience of analysing, reporting on and discussing different domains of EU policy at various scales, as influenced by geographical diversity

Content

The world order is changing rapidly. Wars and illegal occupation are proliferating from Ukraine
to Gaza, Iran and Lebanon, contributing to a new global arms race. Meanwhile, the second
Trump presidency has caused cracks to appear in the long-standing transatlantic alliance,
forcing Europe to reposition itself on the global stage. In response to these developments, the
European Commission has developed the 'ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030' defence plan, which
aims to reduce the EU's military dependency on the US. However, increased defence spending
could mean less funding for traditional core EU policy areas such as cohesion policy. Also known
as regional policy, this scheme aims to reduce severe inequalities between EU regions, which
have often been exacerbated by the creation of the single market. Pressure to rearm could also
impact the EU's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal central to the
European Green Deal and that should largely be achieved through the Emissions Trading
Scheme (ETS). The EU's climate ambitions are further threatened by the political landscape
within the Union and its member states. The growing strength of right-wing populist and
Eurosceptic parties, including within the European Parliament, undermines support for climate
policy. Meanwhile, the continued strength of the Christian Democrats, who have long
supported large-scale intensive agriculture, makes it more difficult to green the Common
Agricultural Policy, a cornerstone of European integration.

In this course, we will examine these developments primarily through the lens of political
geography. We will look at the evolving nature and meaning of Europe as a historical,
ideological and geographical entity. Additionally, we will examine how imaginaries of the EU as
a geopolitical actor are related to its current push to rearm. Furthermore, we will analyse
cohesion policy from the perspective of spatial inequalities and spatial justice. To understand
decision-making in the EU, we will also consider the influence of interest groups and lobbying,
and address the issue of democracy within the EU.

However, we will not remain at a purely theoretical level. An important part of the course
involves role-playing and detailed policy analysis. For example, we will re-enact a lobby
session with a European Commissioner on the topic of pesticide regulation, in which groups of
students will represent various interest groups. Additionally, we will hold a mock European
Council session on the reform of cohesion policy, in which you will bring and study the position
of various EU member states. Finally, we will hold a European Parliament debate on the reform
of the Emissions Trading Scheme, in which groups of students will represent the various
political groups within parliament. These sessions will provide deeper insights into how the EU
and its institutions actually work, particularly with regard to the formal and informal aspects of
decision-making processes. As these sessions require proper preparation, they will also enable
you to gain a better understanding of some core areas of EU policy that tend to have limited
visibility.