The impact of the European Union on the modern nation-state

Abstract

This thesis analyzes, the transformations that occur in the modern nation-state in Europe as a result of the process of European integration. In the history of Europe, if a first historical conjuncture is the Westphalian Settlement which had established the basic grounds upon which the modem nation-state has been founded, a second one is the actualization of the European integration process. This thesis explores the transformations on the modern nation-state by focusing on the principle of sovereignty. The impact of the European Union is analyzed both in terms of the integration processes and in terms of the attempts to cope with the regional disparities within the Union. A latent attempt is to situate the exploration within the context of the process of globalization.