The European Union in Crisis

Since the early 2000s, the European Union has faced a range of crises, including the Euro crisis, the refugee crisis, the corona crisis and the energy crisis in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. How has the EU managed to survive? How has the balance of power between EU institutions and member states been affected by crises? This course discusses the nature of crises, as well as crisis management, crisis exploitation, and crisis communication. We start with a critical analysis of what a ‘crisis’ really is and how it comes about, with a particular focus on how crises are constructed and managed through communication. We discuss the major crises that have struck Europe in the 21st century and how the EU dealt with it.

Knowledge - the student shall:

• understand the nature of (a)symmetric shocks affecting Europe in recent history
• understand how crises are narrated and managed
• improve her understanding of how the European Union works

Skills - the student shall demonstrate the ability to:

• critically reflect on the concept of ‘crisis’, how it affects the balance of power between different EU institutions and the legitimacy of the EU
• assess and analyze crisis management and crisis communication
• compare different episodes of EU crisis management and explain variations of success based on the nature of the shock, variations in policy competencies and EU internal politics
• write an independent, well-structured analytical essay, using the relevant empirical knowledge and theoretical perspectives of European Union politics
• present an academic study to an interested audience

Lectures and seminars totaling 4 hours per week. Individual supervision for the term paper. If fewer than 7 students attend the course the first two weeks of teaching, the course will be given as an individual study course with supervision.