Enhanced Cooperation and the Czech Republic

0502022 - ÚSP 2019 RIV PL eng J - Journal Article
Malíř, Jan
Enhanced Cooperation and the Czech Republic.
Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs. Roč. 21, č. 1 (2019), s. 73-94. ISSN 1428-149X
Institutional support: RVO:68378122
Keywords : European Union * Closer Cooperation * Enhanced Cooperation * Flexibility * Czech Republic
OECD category: Law

Enhanced cooperation (originally closer cooperation) was inserted into the EU institutional and legal system by the Amsterdam Treaty in a response to political calls for establishment of a mechanism that would allow for deeper integration of only some Member States (“coalitions of the willing”) in the ever-enlarging EU. As such, this step meant a break with the unity dogma the European integration had been traditionally built upon and provided for institutionalised differentiation in the EU. Redesigned by both the Treaty of Nice and the Treaty of Lisbon, enhanced cooperation has materialized in 5 cases since 2010. Apart from that, possibility of a recourse to enhanced cooperation has played a role in negotiation strategies within the EU decision-making process and in refl ections on the future of the EU. While enhanced cooperation is not a magic panacea to divergences of opinions on the European integration between individual Member States, in particular, middle-sized and small Member States including the Czech Republic shall not underestimate the potential this mechanism might have.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0293976