Building European Sovereignty: A Condition for Effective Political Agency

The author contends that 'partial Europeanisation' has undermined national sovereignty without creating a functional European alternative, fueling populist movements. To resolve this, the document proposes a transition from a hybrid 'sui generis' entity to a sovereign European state with a monopoly on the use of force, a common budget of at least 15% of Eurozone GDP, and a fully democratised legislative process where the European Parliament holds the right of legislative initiative.

• Populist Euroscepticism has moved from the margins to become an 'entrenched reality', driven by a shared demand among various branches of Eurosceptics to 'rehabilitate sovereignty in order to save democracy and political agency'.
• The EU's current state of 'partial Europeanisation' has eroded the capacity of nation states to exercise sovereign powers without establishing a genuine European sovereignty, specifically in socioeconomic, border, and security policies.
• The author criticizes the 'sui generis' and 'multi-level governance' interpretations of European federalism, arguing that the attempt to 'share or divide sovereignty' is a contradiction that renders political power ineffective.
• To achieve genuine sovereignty, the EU would require a monopoly on the use of force, including a 'common police force, army and intelligence service', and a Eurozone budget of 'at least 15% of the Eurozone GDP' to address economic divergences.
• Democratisation of a sovereign EU should involve the European Parliament becoming the 'only institution to hold a right of legislative initiative' and the replacement of the Council of the EU and European Council with a second chamber of elected representatives.
• The author advocates for an 'instrumental or functional' legitimacy for the EU based on the fulfillment of individual and collective interests rather than on common identity or shared values, which are viewed as potentially harmful.

APA

Heine, S. (2016). Building European Sovereignty: A Condition for Effective Political Agency. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/building-european-sovereignty-a-condition-for-effective-political-agency/

Chicago

Heine, S. Building European Sovereignty: A Condition for Effective Political Agency. Green European Journal, 2016. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/building-european-sovereignty-a-condition-for-effective-political-agency/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Heine |first1=S. |title=Building European Sovereignty: A Condition for Effective Political Agency |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 July 2016 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/building-european-sovereignty-a-condition-for-effective-political-agency/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{heine2016building, author = {Heine, S.}, title = {{Building European Sovereignty: A Condition for Effective Political Agency}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/building-european-sovereignty-a-condition-for-effective-political-agency/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }