Beyond Nationalism

Beyond nationalism presents a comprehensive theory of the common good of the European Union (EU) and proposes concrete policies and institutional reforms to improve its achievement. It commences with a discussion of the public values jointly endorsed by EU member states, which are seen to provide a basis for identifying a transnational common good. Labareda discusses the distinctive nature of the EU common good, which he associates with three main conditions: maintaining liberal democracy, enabling decent standards of social welfare, and ensuring a high level of environmental protection. Relying on a constructivist understanding of national interests, the author proposes a set of reforms that would allow the EU common good to be more strongly represented in the process of national interest formation in domestic politics. At the same time, he proposes significant changes in the Brussels institutional apparatus aimed at democratising the pursuit of the common good, including the creation of an EU Citizens' Assembly and the election of the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council. The book takes on board the idea that a willingness by EU citizens to recurrently sacrifice their interests for the sake of an EU common good would require stronger bonds of civic friendship among them. It proposes several policies to achieve this goal, including reducing socioeconomic inequalities in the EU, curtailing barriers against freedom of movement, and creating a transnational curriculum on EU citizenship.