The Stateless Market - The European Dilemma of Integration and Civilization (Hardcover)

This study offers a broad view of the tension between state and market in the political evolution of the European Union. Contemporary developments and issues are set within the historical context of state formation. It is argued that states are invariably formed by violent conquest, or by fusion in the face of an external threat; and that markets can emerge only when the state has been established. The histories of France, Britain, The Netherlands and Germany conform to these rules, but the European Union does not, and the text explores the reasons why this is so, and its implications. The second section of the text is based on empirical research, and underpins its theoretical and historical argument with an analysis of official documents, newspaper articles and interviews with Eurocrats form the various member states. The focus is on two case studies: the Treaty of Schengen on judicial co-operation and harmonization, and the problem of EU fraud. The consequences of the Maastricht Treaty are also discussed.