Spirale nach unten oder produktive Krisen? Zur Geschichte politischer Entscheidungskrisen der europäischen Integration

Abstract

The European Union has undergone a severe crisis since 2007. This crisis is not only of a financial, economic and public debt matter but in fact is it a severe crisis of European integration. The time of urgent rescue measures, however, seems to have been overcome but any mistaken decision might potentially revive the crisis. Under the circumstances of this uncertainty, the article compares the current crisis with other crises in the long history of European integration crises and discusses what is new about it and which patterns have been repeated. Based on three crisis narratives (crises swirling down, periodical crises and constructive crises) the author presents a typology of crises of European integration and thereby, identifies four necessary conditions for constructive crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]