The Europeanisation of the Rhineland: the Netherlands and Germany in transnational perspective - Montesquieu Institute

The European Union has been shaped by its member states. 'Brussels' is a mirror of national political cultures. Also, the integration process has led to an adaptation of governance and politics of the member states to EU legislation. This research project focuses on the effects of the European membership, the European legislation and the European agreements on socio-economic and constitutional relations and on party-politics in the Netherlands and Germany.

The vertical and horizontal transformation processes will be studied in a transnational perspective, which means that in addition to the bilateral state relations, also the regional, multilateral and supranational relations are taken into account.  From this perspective, the Rhineland could be considered as one borderless region. Of course, differences between the Netherlands and Germany will also be regarded.

This project is an initiative by the Amsterdam Institute for German Studies of the University of Amsterdam and the Montesquieu Institute in The Hague. Besides research activities international conferences will be held concerning the regulated free market economy (the Rhineland Model), the Dutch and German constitutions and the translation and transposition of political concepts within the EU. The project is led by Hanco Jürgens, MA, Research Coordinator at the Amsterdam Institute for German Studies.

Click here  for information on the international series of conferences on Market & Morality in April and May 2009.

For more information, please send an e-mail to: info@montesquieu-instituut.nl