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Is the European Union in Need of a Competence Catalogue? Insights from Comparative Federalism
Author(s) -
Swenden Wilfried
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-5965.2004.00492.x
Subject(s) - legitimacy , competence (human resources) , federalism , european union , political science , treaty , convention , democratic legitimacy , law and economics , law , sociology , international trade , psychology , business , social psychology , politics
This article assesses the value of a detailed and rigid catalogue of competencies for curbing the process of European centralization and increasing the overall legitimacy of the EU. The article first details the reasons, and the actors who put the search for a catalogue of competencies on to the European agenda. Drawing from comparative federalism, it then lists five arguments why a detailed and rigid competence catalogue is neither feasible nor desirable. Finally, alternatives are provided leading to competence delimitation by other means. The main arguments are illustrated with reference to the European Convention's draft Constitutional Treaty.