Projekte

Europe is in crisis. Perhaps the European Union has even entered, as many analysts like to put it, an era of ‘polycrisis’. One of our most fundamental European debates concerns the future direction of the Union, especially in terms of its democracy, its civic cultures and its geopolitics. What should the make-up of the Union be in terms of democratic institutions? What should be its foundation in terms of citizenship and civic cultures? How should citizens and policy makers address the division and workings of sovereign powers in the Union? How should the Union act in the world of geopolitics? In short, what kind Federal Union should Europe be?

  • The first aim of our project is to contribute to the historical study of the Federal Union as a shared European heritage.
  • The second aim of the project is to connect historical study with reflections on Europe’s present and future as Federal Union.
Hence the starting point for the project is to set up a research network that brings together 15-20 historians of political thought, political theorists and policy makers to jointly study some of the key dimensions of the pasts, presents and futures of 'Federal Union' in Europe.
The first step has been to set up a small group and steering committee and to organise an exploratory workshop that took place on Monday 16 September and Tuesday 17 September 2024. The group set out the research agenda, presented first drafts of chapters and discussed opportunities for research funding. For the workshop programme click here.

For more information about the project click here.