Crises of European Integration

The book offers explanations for the striking variation in the outcomes of European integration crises. It analyzes eight major cases over the entire integration process, starting from the early 1950s and lasting until very recently. All cases went beyond a single policy field or member state but affected key features, principles, and objectives of European integration. As such, they qualify as “constitutional crises”. My cases comprise the crisis of the European Defence Community (1952-54); the empty chair crisis (1965-66); the oil crisis (1973-74); the budgetary rebate crisis (1979-84); the end of the Cold War crisis (1989-92); the Constitutional Treaty crisis (2004-07); the Euro crisis (2009-12); and the migration crisis (2015-16). Taking a historical-comparative perspective, the book shows that crises have been an integral part of the European integration process since its beginning. European integration, after all, started with a major setback when member states in 1954 failedto realize plans for a European army through the European Defense Community.

“'Lucas Schramm’s book is an essential reading for the community of Europeanists. It stands out as a pioneering work that delves into the examination of the role played by eight constitutional crises in the EU in a ‘longue durée’ perspective. A highly recommended volume!” (--Ramona Coman, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.)

“Creative, refined, thorough, and innovative. At times when terms such as ‘poly-crisis’ and ‘perma-crisis’ have become standard vocabulary, Lucas Schramm offers a fresh look at European integration and crisis politics that combines empirical breadth, historical depth, and theoretical sophistication.” (--Ulrich Krotz, Harvard University, United States.)

“The first theoretical book which adopts a truly long-term perspective on EU crises. Lucas Schramm brilliantly demonstrates that crises have had very different effects on the integration process by reviewing European integration since the 1950s.” (--Christian Lequesne, Sciences PoParis, France.)

Lucas Schramm is Assistant Professor at the Geschwister Scholl Institute, the Department for Political Science at LMU Munich. Germany. He has published several peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals including Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Common Market Studies, and Journal of European Integration. In addition, he is the author or co-author of several chapters in handbooks and edited volumes dealing with aspects of European integration and EU politics. He is the co-author of the monograph “The European Council as a Crisis Manager: The EU’s Fiscal Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic” (with Wolfgang Wessels and Tobias Kunstein. 2022). His research has also been published in several European and national newspapers, as well as in the form of blog posts.