European Union - The Second Founding: The Changing Rationale of European Integration

The European Union is going through the process of a ‘second founding, ’ while simultaneously changing its rationale. The original founding of European integration in 1957 was based on the notion of internal reconciliation among European states and societies. Since the 1990s, European integration has increasingly become a political project, with implications for the internal structure of its Member States and their societies. At the same time, with the end of the Cold War, the rational of European integration has begun to change: European integration is about a new global role of Europe, its contribution to the management of global affairs, and its ability to cope with the effects of globalization on Europe. Inside the EU, the second founding is about a new contract between political elites and the people of Europe, in order to solidify legitimacy and effectiveness for this unique experiment in European history. This revised second edition - which is a broadly structured study of the first 50 years on European integration - takes into account the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon that came into effect on December 1, 2009