ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the transformation of the West European nation state into a 'member state' of the European Union (EU), within the process of cooperation known as European integration. It also examines the manner in which the nation state of Western Europe has been transformed into a type of member state, adapting and modifying Alberta Sbragia's use of the term 'member state'. The chapter illustrates that the nation states of the EU are constituent members of a dynamic fluid political and economic structure and thus the issue of the nation state is an evolving one, as the EU itself is evolving. It analyses the transformation of the nation state into member state in terms of politics, law and economics. For Alan Milward the nation state's rescue has been material, economic and social, rather than based on political or security concerns.
