Regionalism Essay Plan - ETVT regional organisations have eroded state sovereignty

Introduction (definitions)

Sovereignty = states supreme authority to govern its own territory and people without external intervention

Regional organisations = alliances of states without specific geographic areas with the aims of mutual benefit whether this be political, economic or for security

Supranational = member states surrender a portion of their sovereignty to a higher body to make decisions such as the EU

Intergovernmental = members retain full sovereignty and decisions are made through consensus such as AU

Introduction (judgement)

• Regional bodies may erode sovereignty by pooling decision make powers and binding states to the decisions

• Some instead argue that regionalism aids state sovereignty rather than removes it

• Supranational bodies DO remove sovereignty but most do not; Sovereignty has been redefined not removed

Paragraph One: EU eroding sovereignty

• EU is best example of eroding sovereignty = supremacy of EU law (European commission can take member states to ECJ for failing to comply with EU law - if fails to correct can impose financial sanctions and penalties i.e. Hungary in 2024 made to pay $200 million for failing to detain asylum seekers)

• Qualified majority voting means decision can be made without unanimous consent i.e. states lose veto power which they would have under intergovernmental ( all states are bound by law once its passed even if voted against it)

Paragraph One: Supranational erodes sovereignty

• States lose sovereignty; decisions can be imposed even if voted against as they do not have veto power

• Legal constraints NOT just political pressures

• Heywood article believes they create new centres of political authority meaning sovereignty is passed on from the states

• Shown through Brexit - UK wanted to regain control over its borders, laws and legal system

Paragraph Two: NATO preserves sovereignty

• NATO: states agree to mutual defence but remain legally and politically independent from one another, can withdraw at any point as it is purely voluntary. All decisions require the agreement of every member therefore represent collective will of region

• Example of unanimous decision making is implementation of Article 5 following 9/11 (attack on one is attack on all)

Paragraph Two: Intergovernmental do not deeply erode sovereignty

• Mostly political not legal and states chose to comply

• No policies which override domestic law

• Sovereignty is limited but not eroded; states remain in control over participation making it less harmful than supranational bodies

Paragraph Three: Regionalism strengthens sovereignty

• Regionalism enhances sovereignty - most bodies are intergovernmental meaning sovereignty is largely preserved

• Security organisations improve state capacity to fight against external threats i.e. NATO: benefit from the mutual defence of member states whilst still being independent

• Legal sovereignty is never affected as states can leave at any time and are not bound by the law

Paragraph Three: AOSIS benefits

• Alliance of Small Island States - boosts their collective voice in international law while promoting climate change action

Conclusion

• Only supranational organisations erode sovereignty through binding laws and qualified majority voting

• Intergovernmental organisations preserve sovereignty whilst still allowing members to benefit from the body

• Strengthens sovereignty and state capacity within the global space, especially smaller states through pooling sovereignty

• Sovereignty = transformed not eroded