Mapping the political geographies of Europeanization

Abstract

Political geographers have significantly contributed to understandings of the spatialities of Europeanization. We review some of this work, while also highlighting research themes where further political-geographic research would be insightful. We note the importance of work that captures both the diverse expressions and meanings attributed to Europe, European integration and ‘European power’ in different places within and beyond the EU, and the variegated manifestations of ‘Europeanizing’ processes across these different spaces. We also suggest that political-geographic research can add crucial input to reconceptualizing European integration as well as Europeanization as it now unfolds in a time of ‘crisis’.

Re‐Thinking Territorial Cohesion in the European Planning Context

“…Radaelli (: 3), for example, describes it as a set of processes of change in ‘domestic (national and subnational) discourse, political structures and public policies’, stemming directly from the influence of the EU through the publication of new directives, regulations or standards that provide a cognitive and normative framework, and conceptual and operational guidelines. Europeanization is thus deemed a ‘set of discursive practices that set boundaries for imaginations and articulations of the EU’ (Moisio et al ., : 738) that act as a process that legitimizes the ways in which the EU strives to gain meaning, ‘actorness’ and international presence’ (Jones and Clark, ).…”

“…Since the 1990s, several definitions of the term 'Europeanization' have been debated in the literature of various fields, ranging from political science to geography and spatial planning (Ladrech, 1994;Börzel and Risse, 2000;Cowles and Caporaso, 2001;Featherstone and Radaelli, 2003;Vink, 2003;Radaelli, 2004;Clark and Jones, 2008;Ladrech, 2010;Rovnyi and Bachmann, 2012;Moisio et al, 2013). Radaelli (2004: 3), for example, describes it as a set of processes of change in 'domestic (national and subnational) discourse, political structures and public policies', stemming directly from the influence of the EU through the publication of new directives, regulations or standards that provide a cognitive and normative framework, and conceptual and operational guidelines.…”

“…And, as Moisio et al . () add, there is a need, particularly in a crisis context, for a spatially sensitive contextual approach that can capture the highly variegated manifestations of ‘Europeanizing’ processes across these different spaces.…”

“…Consequently, since the 1990s and the 'spatial awakening' of EU policies (Rumford, 2006;Moisio, 2011;Luukkonen, 2015), scholars have looked more closely at the implications of Europeanization on political geography and territorial planning (see reviews in Luukkonen, 2015; see also Rovnyi and Bachmann, 2012;Moisio et al, 2013). Indeed, as the EU gradually moved towards instituting spatial planning as an intrinsic part of its agenda (Faludi, 2007;Evers, 2008) so did the perception of Europeanization evolve from a more politically based and governance-based discourse (Pollack, 2005;Luukkonen, 2015)--what Clark and Jones (2008) called 'hegemonic state-centered integrationist vision'--to a more territorially based, socio-spatial process.…”

“…According to Rovnyi and Bachmann (2012) Europeanization should be regarded as a historically contingent and socially contextualized practice, transcending narrow views on high politics to take temporally and geographically specific forms. And, as Moisio et al (2013) add, there is a need, particularly in a crisis context, for a spatially sensitive contextual approach that can capture the highly variegated manifestations of 'Europeanizing' processes across these different spaces.…”