Problem suwerenności w Unii Europejskiej

Abstract

There is a widely shared opinion that membership in the EU is a threat to the sovereignty of a State. From that point of view the term “sovereign EU Member State” seems contradictory. In this understanding, the State can be sovereign only outside the Community, not within it. There is a great
deal of misunderstanding, bias and clichés concerning the problem of sovereignty in the EU. Firstly, according to common understanding, accession
to the EU is conceived as a “zero-one” game. A sovereign State entering the EU transfers its sovereignty upon the Community. In the age of globalisation, however, and contemporary international relations no country is completely sovereign in its territory. The countries do neither have ultimate nor full political, economic and military/defensive authority as regards all problems concerning their territories. Secondly, there is a mistaken distinction “us vs. them” appearing quite often in the debate on European integration. It is a source of reasoning according to which by acceding to the EU we transmit our sovereignty to them in Brussels. However, this distinction disappears at the very moment of accession, when in fact we become a part of them. Thirdly, only one meaning of sovereignty is usually used in the debate on the European integration – one which treats sovereignty as exclusive domain of a State. Yet, according to R. Schumann, it is an individual – in its dignity and obligation – which is the highest value of any social organisation. Therefore, sovereignty should also be linked to an individual, a EU citizen – his/her freedom, dignity and interests.