Economic globalization: a challenge to the European integration process

Abstract

The prestigious German philosopher Jürgen Habermas observes that economic globalization has played a crucial role in the crisis of European ́ Nation-States, the progressive dismantling of the Social State and, even worse, the establishment of a new order in which politics is subordinate to the economic sphere. Habermas suggests that to reverse this process, Europe must move towards a supranational government system with greater political and regulatory capacity. Based on this analysis we ask, in short, what should this deepening of European integration consist on. The context of economic crisis and European citizens’ failing trust in community institutions are key considerations for this process.