Flexible Europe: Differentiated Integration, Fairness and Democracy

Join us and the LSE European Institute for a launch of the new book, Flexible Europe. Differentiated Integration, Fairness, and Democracy by Richard Bellamy, Sandra Kröger, and Marta Lorimer. 

With: 

• Richard Bellamy, Professor of Political Science, UCL Dept of Political Science.
• Marta Lorimer, Fellow in European Politics, LSE European Institute.
• Oliver Gerstenberg, Senior Lecturer, UCL Laws.
• Charles Grant, Director, Centre for European Reform.
• Sean Hanley, Associate Professor in Comparative Central and East European Politics, UCL SSEES.
• Waltraud Schelkle, Professor in Political Economy, LSE European Institute.
• Stella Ladi, Reader in Public Management, Queen Mary University of London (TBC).
• Chair: Claudia Sternberg, Head of Academic Programmes, UCL European Institute.

The discussion will take place in person, and will be followed by drinks.

Please note UCL's updated guidance on face coverings, which asks for masks to be worn at this event.  

The European Union (EU) is often portrayed as sacrificing national diversity for European unity. This book explores the alternative of a flexible EU based on differentiated rather than uniform integration. 

The authors combine normative theory with empirical research on political party actors to assess the desirability and political acceptability of differentiated integration as a means of accommodating heterogeneity in the EU. They examine the circumstances and institutional design needed for flexibility to promote rather than undermine fairness and democracy within and between member states.

Clear, balanced, and accessible, the book provides fresh thinking on the future of the EU.

To get an idea of the themes covered in this book, read this related blog or listen to this podcast interview with the three authors.

A number of the chapters draw on material from recently published articles, which are all open access:

• Chapter 1 – Differentiated Integration as a Fair Scheme of Cooperation
• Chapter 2 - A demoicratic justification of differentiated integration in a heterogeneous EU
• Chapter 3 – Countering Democratic Backsliding by EU Member States: Constitutional Pluralism and ‘Value’ Differentiated Integration
• Chapter 4 - Party Views on Differentiated Integration
• Chapter 6 - The Democratic Dilemmas of Differentiated Integration: The Views of Political Party Actor