Introduction

This book is concerned with how the process of European integration has affected what we, picking up an older vocabulary, call the ‘nationalities question’. These are both broad concepts and some definitional clarity is in order. European integration has, for our purposes, three strands. The first strand is normative, involving changed understandings of sovereignty, self-determination and rights, including the rights of individuals and minorities. These changes may affect both states and national movements directed against states. The second strand is market integration, with the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour, which has altered the relationship between the economy, the polity and the cultural community, so that they no longer need to share the same territorial boundaries. The third strand is the rise of transnational political and institutional structures, notably the European Union (EU) but including the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO, as well as a number of inter-state agreements such as the Schengen Agreement on border controls. ¹ These are creating a new, complex and not always consistent set of transnational regimes, located above the states but also penetrating their domestic politics.