European Union Integration - Literature review Example

European Union Integration Introduction The integration of the European Union (EU) member countries refers to the of political, industrial, economic, legal, cultural and social cooperation of the member states. The integration of the member states of the European Union has been deployed through the administrative roles of the Council of Europe and the European Union (Cappiello et al., 2006, p. 7). The integration of the European Union member states has, historically and currently, been affected by the migration of different groups into the region – which has had a permanent and widening aspect of the future of Europe (Aldcroft, 2001). The factors that demonstrate the need for deployed effective strategies of integration including the fact that integration effort did not effectively cover migrant groups and the fears raised by the increasing backing offered to the far right parties (Marks and Steenbergen, 2004). The course of integration, across the different spheres, has also been worsened by the different views among the member states. This paper will explore the factors that have made EU integration challenging and also the main challenges limiting the expansion of integration. The factors making EU integration increasingly difficult The Differing experiences of Integration Approximately 13 to 14 million people from the third-countries live in the EU region, which comprises about 4 percent of the region’s population (Pecoud and Guchteneire, 2007). The regions’ immigration trends exacerbate the situation, especially because the diversified nature of the population is a major obstacle to the integration efforts. In this sense, many immigrant groups are concentrated around some cities or regions, which exclude them from the rest of the population (Penninx, Kraal, Martiniello and Vertovec, 2004, p. 3). Further, these self-excluded and socially distanced groups are likely to experience exclusion, despite the fact that the original immigrant groups and their second-generation are legally regarded nationals in the region. In view of this, the nationals of the EU region suffer barriers to their integration, outside their national borders. For example, the Portuguese immigrant groups living within the Northern Ireland territory have reported exclusion, which undermines the integrative efforts of the EU (Penninx, Kraal, Martiniello and Vertovec, 2004). The second dynamic making the integration of immigrant populations within the region difficult, include the rising net migration levels. This variable is the main factor behind population change within the EU (Pecoud and Guchteneire, 2007, p. 139). This trend is worsened by the fact that the incoming groups come from different countries, which implies that they increase the diversity of culture and language within the region – more than the case has been in the past (Penninx, Kraal, Martiniello and Vertovec, 2004). Thirdly, the inflow of migrant groups also leads to the accrual of cultural and economic benefits. For example, some of the incoming groups are very successful in operating within the labour market, and these advantages improve their relations with other residents and groups. However, other groups are disadvantaged under the different core areas of integration, including education, legal rights, criminal justice, employment, living conditions, health and civil participation (Penninx, Kraal, Martiniello and Vertovec, 2004). The long term effects of diversity include that some migrant groups and their subsequent generations are, often, effectively integrated in one area, such as intermarriage, yet deprived in another area, such as unemployment levels (Pecoud and Guchteneire, 2007). The permanence of migration and its impacts The core factors leading to the redirection of efforts towards the improvement of integration at the European Union level include the acknowledgement of the permanency of migration and its instrumental role in the future of the European region (Eckstein and Najam, 2013, p. 213). These incoming groups include the workforce coming in to fill labour gaps, foreign students, refugee groups and the families of immigrant groups. These different groups require incorporation into the region, irrespective of their residency in the area – whether permanent or temporary. The absorption of more countries into the EU, including the ten countries that joined in 2004 increased migrant mobility and the inflow of more migrant groups triggered the development of some tensions, which required policy revisions to cater for the new needs (Eckstein and Najam, 2013). The integration of the EU has been made difficult by the public resentment expressed towards different migrant groups, and the fears emanating from their differences culminate in community tensions, discrimination and occasional violence (Eckstein and Najam, 2013). Following the widening crisis, there has been a considerable increase in identification with far-right political groups, mainly because these parties capitalize on the resentments and fears developed about by different groups (Finney and Simpson, 2009, p. 76). For example, following the September 11 attack, there has been a widespread resentment and anxiety towards Muslim minorities within the region. In worse cases, there has been vocal hostility targeted at the Muslim groups living within the European region, which shows that effective integration requires, and has been calling for, more comprehensive integration policies and strategies (Eckstein and Najam, 2013). Some of the temporary solutions adopted by different groups, following their experience of alienation at the national level, include seeking identification with fundamentalist groups. The negative outcome of such a solution is that these groups become more and more alienated and distant from the mainstream society than before. The EU Role in the Integration Crisis The fundamental efforts for integration should be employed at the local and the national level, although the goals of the EU in the areas of economic development, immigration and social cohesion mandate more focus on integration (Kuhnhardt, 2009, p. 13). The difficulty of realizing full integration has emanated from the fact that the EU has not been thorough in addressing the issues undermining integration during the post-entry stage, through the enforcement of stringent rules regarding issues related to refugees and immigrants. One of the areas that the EU should check effectively is that of family reunification, where the rules put in place should be stringent enough to foster the common goal of integration. Other areas requiring stringent rules and directives include those of the regulations covering the issues of religious and racial discrimination, and the strategies for addressing inequalities in the mainstream areas of social inclusion, employment and health (Kuhnhardt, 2009, p. 13). The Major Challenges Hindering Further Integration The enlargement of the EU to cover 27 countries impacted administrative processes and decision-making for the EU. The possible effects includes that this could complicate or weaken the mechanisms used with the EU-15. The challenges of decision-making, which would inevitably affect further integration, were partly addressed through the Nice and the Amsterdam Treaties, which focused on the widening of the decision-making process, to use Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) in the place of consensus system (Taylor, 2008, p. 9). However, the increased diversity of the members states and their interests following the expansion for further integration triggered governance challenges, including adoption of decision-making processes of outvoting, instead of consensus which run more smoothly (Taylor, 2008, p. 22). Some of the challenges hindering further integration in the EU became evident after the push for more internal changes. The calls ended up with the endorsement of a regional constitution in Rome in 2004, in which case members such as Netherlands and France were against the new constitution (European Communities, 2005). Further integration has been challenged by the shift in the power balance established in the European Union prior to its expansion. The challenge of power balance became evident following the collapse of the bipolar order, which is sometimes attributed to the integration of the French-German core (Plechanovova, 2007). The effects of this include that the unification of Germany led to the collapse of the balance that had been maintained in Western Europe, and irrespective of the efforts to re-establish balance, France has remained fearful about the unification of Germany. For example, the 1990 reunification of Germany made it the strongest economic stronghold and the most popular power among the members of the European Union (Plechanovova, 2007). The push for further integration triggered widespread social fears among the members from the Western side of Europe. The outlook of the nationals from newer member states has remained positive towards the integration. For instance, the accession referendum attracted about 77 percent support from Poland; years later, even after the expansion of the EU, support levels still remain at the highs of 70 percent (Kaczynski, 2008). However, the case was different among the member states from Western Europe, as the wealthier members expressed the fears that the expansion would lead to large-scale immigration and the loss of employment, due to the uncontrolled inflow of workers from the poorer countries (Hitiris, 2003). The mixed attitudes of the different member states will continue to be a challenge in the way of further integration, and will possibly lead to a crisis in the EU (Cappiello et al., 2006). Financial perspectives and budgetary allocations form another challenge for further integration (Aldcroft, 2001). For example, prior to the expansion of the EU, there was debate over the costs of the expansion, despite the fact that the benefits were anticipated and prospected (Fidrmuc et al., 2002). These questions did not only challenge the initial expansion of integration, but it also raised questions over the cooperative efforts that would exist between the wealthy and the poor members of the EU, towards realizing the financial solidarity which has been prospected (Fidrmuc et al., 2002). Conclusion The integration of the European Union covers the political and economic, among other spheres of integration. The integration of the members of the EU has been affected by the inflow of immigrants, as well as the economic imbalance of the members. The factors that make the integration of EU members include the varied experiences of integration, the permanence of regional migration and the ineffectiveness of the EU in streamlining national stability, which influences integration. The major challenges in the way of further integration include the imbalance of administrative and decision-making processes, the shift in power within the EU, the social fears of Western European members and the questionable budgetary allocation of the EU (European Communities, 2005). Reference List Aldcroft, D., 2001. The European Economy 1914-2000. 4th edition. London: Routledge. Cappiello, L., Gerard, B., Kadareja, A., and Manganelli, S., 2006. Financial Integration of New EU Member States. European Central Bank: Working Paper Series, No. 683(October), pp. 7-10. Eckstein, S., Najam, A. eds. 2013. How Immigrants Impact Their Homelands. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. European Communities., 2005. 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