Las consecuencias de la crisis económica para el modelo político de la Unión Europeaprofundización, diferenciación y demandas de legitimidad

Abstract

Since the beginning of the financial and economic crisis, the European Union is in a deep process of structural change, with new ambitious rules on economic governance. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the lasting effects of the crisis on the European integration process, from an International Relations perspective. The intergovernmental crisis management patterns show limits in terms of efficiency but also in terms of legitimacy. They have promoted power politics dynamics among States, imposing the interests of creditors States. The legislative reforms, carried out through different constitutional politics methods, produce a deep transformation of the EU. They alter the Treaties as there is an indirect conferral of powers in fiscal and economic policies. Nevertheless, this ambitious deepening only affects the euro Member States, increasing consequently the differentiation among Member States. The crisis management has provoked a widening gap in terms of legitimacy, which makes necessary to reconsider the democratic credentials of the new procedures. Finally, there is fear about the future of an Economic Union, which does not involve a Political Union, both in terms of efficiency and legitimacy.