Fragile Orders. Understanding Intergovernmentalism in the Context of EU Crises and Reform Process.

The last fifteen years of European integration have revealed a fragile European Union.

Due to the crises that have affected the EU on several fronts, most recently the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union has come to terms with the precariousness of the European project. In particular after Brexit, European integration has lost its teleological implication, losing the conviction of a predetermined progress. Therefore, there is the growing awareness that the lack of political will to pursue unity in Europe might jeopardise the very existence of the EU. This leads to the question of what ultimately guarantees unity in the Union or, vice versa, what is the real cause of its disintegration.

The modern popular discourse in favour of European integration largely considers intergovernmentalism in the EU as the main cause of its disintegration. By refuting this argument, the aim of this work is to demonstrate that intergovernmentalism is not, per se, a cause of European disintegration. On the contrary, quite paradoxically, the intergovernmental method represents today the only catalyst for possible EU progress.

Matteo Scotto is director of the research and project department at Villa Vigoni, the German-Italian Centre for the European Dialogue based in Italy. After previous studies in foreign languages, international relations and European studies in Turin, Venice, Bamberg, New York and Bonn, he completed a PhD in Politi- cal Science at the University of Bonn. From 2013 to 2016 he worked for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Bonn and then joined Villa Vigoni in 2016.