Publication

This paper deals with recent and future institutional and other decision-making reforms within the European Union. Consisting of two parts, it aims to make a contribution to the "Future of Europe" debate. The first part draws a picture of the current political landscape in the EU following the signing of the 2000 Nice Treaty, including the rise of Euro-pessimism and Euro-skepticism in many EU states. The second part discusses the current debate over the "finalité politique" of the Union by reviewing the three different schools of thought: first, the supranationalist/federalist school; second, the intergovernmentalist/confederalist school; and finally, those who combine a mix of federal, confederal, and other approaches. This paper clearly sides with the last of the three approaches, known as "confederal consociation".