| The Benign Empire. Understanding European Supranationality | |||
| The project springs from the attempt to take seriously the claim of a supranational legal order to articulate a new and distinct type of political association. | |||
| Existing theories of supranationality are not convincing. The one remaining with a certain plausibility is the also most old-fashioned. Not surprisingly, it has left its trace in recent Council Conclusions and Communications by the Commission. It is nothing short of the imperial vision integration. Thus, students of European integration may well have to return to reading Justinian’s Code. | |||
| It has to be feared, though, that the publication of Hardt’s and Negri’s Empire has already pre-empted a serious exploration of the issue. Nevertheless, the idea is worth pondering that in an age in which ideals such as democracy and equality appear to be invariably in decline the exercise of public authority ought to be recast in terms adequate to the imperial pretensions of supra- or transnational organisations. | |||
| For a preliminary and untidy instalment, follow this link. | |||
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