Is there a European Common Good?

Abstract

The common good and how it can be pursued is a contested question. It touches upon the core principles of a society and challenges political processes, institutional logics and constitutional settings. The nature and finality of the European transformation cannot be understood without taking these questions into account. Despite all successes in integration, it is an open question whether this Union is in fact more than the sum total of fragmentary compromises between and among the Member States. Is there a European Common Good? The publication reflects the struggle of defining the common good within the European Union from different disciplinary perspectives. The contributions explore the potential for a systematic approach to a European understanding of a common good. One can hardly deny that the strictures of Economic and Monetary Union and their impact on security-, health-, social- and environmental politics require the Europeanization of our understanding of a common good. Hence, a discussion of the common good within the European context is strongly suggested by current controversies over collective responsibilities and values.