"Patchwork Europe? Towards a Continent of Variable Cooperation"

Gstöhl, Sieglinde (1995) "Patchwork Europe? Towards a Continent of Variable Cooperation". In: UNSPECIFIED, Charleston, South Carolina. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the forms of variable cooperation in Europe and provides an overview of the different theoretical concepts. The author argues that the European Union's external variable cooperation is ultimately leading to variable integration. Changes in the international system have increased the demands for cooperation with the EU. Yet, the alternatives to membership which the European Union offered have not been satisfactory for most of its substance and institutional set-up and therefore could not substitute for full membership. The longer and the more diverse the queue of applicants, the stronger the pressures for more flexible solutions. The EU's condition of a full acceptance of the existing acquis communautaire seems therefore untenable in the future. Incorporating new members must lead to more custom-tailored integration to accommodate the needs, capabilities and interests of such dissimilar countries as the former EFTAns, the Mediterraneans or the Central and East European states. The paper does not offer a fully-fledged new approach but points out theoretical lacunae in integration theory which still need to be filled.

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