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The Federal Features of the EU: Lessons from Canada

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  • Amy Verdun

    (Department of Political Science, University of Victoria, Canada)

Abstract

There has been a rise and fall in interest in federalism in the context of European integration. This article assesses the federal nature of the EU. It draws in particular on the work of Michael Burgess who has been one of the key thinkers on this issue. Because there are many types of ‘federalisms’ available across the globe, it is helpful to make a comparison with another political system to offer a base line. In this article I explore to what extent the EU already has federal features. With the help of the work of Burgess I seek to look beyond the specific characteristics of the EU and reflect on how a comparison with this other polity can offer us insights into what is going on within the EU political system. Drawing on the comparison with Canada, I seek to identify the characteristics of the EU that are already those of a federation. Therefore, the guiding question of this article is: compared to Canada, what particular features does the EU have that reminds us of a federation and what features is it still lacking? It finds that the EU has a considerable amount of federal features (federation), but that a federal tradition, a federal ideology and advocacy to a federal goal (federalism) are mostly absent.

Suggested Citation

  • Amy Verdun, 2016. "The Federal Features of the EU: Lessons from Canada," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 100-110.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v:4:y:2016:i:3:p:100-110
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Menon, Anand, 2012. "The Oxford Handbook of the European Union," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199546282 edited by Jones, Erik & Weatherill, Stephen.
    2. McKay, David, 2001. "Designing Europe: Comparative Lessons from the Federal Experience," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199244355.
    3. Andrew Glencross, 2009. "Altiero Spinelli and the Idea of the US Constitution as a Model for Europe: The Promises and Pitfalls of an Analogy," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 287-307, March.
    4. Christopher J. Bickerton & Dermot Hodson & Uwe Puetter, 2015. "The New Intergovernmentalism: European Integration in the Post-Maastricht Era," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 703-722, July.
    5. Dermot Hodson, 2013. "The Eurozone in 2012: ‘Whatever It Takes to Preserve the Euro'?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51, pages 183-200, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Hoppe & Lori Thorlakson & Johannes Müller Gómez, 2023. "Merits and Challenges of Comparing the EU and Canada," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11(3), pages 226-230.
    2. Russell Alan Williams & Reeta Chowdhari Tremblay, 2016. "Norms, Institutions and Governance in an Era of Uncertainty: Connecting the Disparate Scholarship," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 1-4.

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