Ever Closer Union — neither a goal nor an aspiration, but a process

“Ever Closer Union” is frequently seen as an almost metaphysical aspiration with little political substance; or alternatively as a categorical imperative for the creation a “European Super-State”. Brendan Donnelly, who took part in the LSE Commission on the Future of Britain in Europe on the matter, writes that instead the phrase is best thought of as neither a cloudy aspiration, nor a detailed commitment, but rather a factual description of a process enshrined in the European Treaties. This process entails incremental sharing of national sovereignties between the member states, monitored and reinforced by independent EU institutions.