Self-determination in a context of shared sovereignty? Bringing functional autonomy in a federal mold

Abstract

[Excerpt] Introduction Demands of self-determination have long been associated with the European Union (EU) (Jones and Keating 1995; Keating and Loughlin 1997; Keating 1998; MacGarry and Keating, 2006; Keating and MacGarry 2004), but time has resolved neither their complexity nor the many inherent contradictions. Indeed, although the EU has provided avenues for the articulation and pursuit of nationalist objectives beyond the borders of the state, it has also bolstered the significance of statehood by limiting full participation in its institutions (Connolly 2013: 54).