What Future Union? The Struggle for a Social Europe

Andreas Bieler

Queen's Papers on Europeanisation from Queens University Belfast

Abstract: This paper is based on the assumption that European integration is an open-ended process the outcome of which is the result of class struggle. Informed by a neo-Gramscian perspective, the paper analyses the social purpose underlying the revival of European integration since the mid 1980s. It is concluded that both the Internal Market and Economic and Monetary Union are instances of neo-liberal restructuring moving the European Union towards the market-oriented, Anglo-American model of capitalism. Enlargement towards Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995 as well as towards Central and Eastern Europe in the near future extends this economic-political model to other areas in Europe. In a second step, it is established that the driving force behind neo-liberal restructuring is European transnational capital and its hegemonic project of 'embedded neo-liberalism'. Nevertheless, hegemonic projects are always contested. The conclusion provides a brief look at alternatives to neo-liberalism based on inter trade union and trade union - social movement co-operation.

Keywords: EMU; enlargement; integration theory; political economy; Single Market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003-05-02
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