Time-frame: On-going
Project Managers: Göran von Sydow, Pernilla Bäckman, and Fredrik Langdal

The political system of the EU is constantly evolving. The purpose of this project is to analyse the political processes and the institutional developments in the EU.

The economic crisis and developments within the Eurozone has put to the fore a number of important issues for the EU’s political development.

Discussions regarding differentiated integration have intensified and, within this project, these developments will be followed closely. Responses to the crisis have given birth to slightly new patterns of alliances in the EU, and the relationship between those countries that have adopted the common currency and the outsiders could alter the balance of power within the EU. This insider–outsider aspect will be analysed both from a legal and a political view. The question of whether decision-making in the EU has become increasingly politicised has also been highlighted recently as a consequence of the crisis.
Growing concern regarding the legitimacy of the political system in the EU, including how to effectively organise a system of political accountability, is also an important issue. Furthermore, the relation between national democracy and a supranational system of governance has become increasingly contentious during the crisis.