CELS Lunchtime Seminar: 'EU Constitutionalism, Crisis and the Security of the European Project'

Speaker: Professor Massimo Fichera, University of Helsinki

This paper argues that EU constitutionalism is informed by the meta-rationale of security, which, while crucial for our understanding of European integration, is characterised by ambiguity. This should prompt us to critically examine whether the languages of security and crisis, which are often intertwined, provide a useful toolbox of concepts or, instead, constrain our vision. The recent multiple crises of the EU have raised new doubts over the viability of the European project. Once again, the shaky foundations of the EU as a polity are questioned. Are we bound to witness the final hour of the European project as we know it? After an overview of the main paradigms of European integration, this paper sketches briefly the multiple dimensions of the security of the European project.