New England Journal of Public Policy Volume 31 Issue 2 Special Issue: ICO Article 7 11-20-2019 European Union Integration and National Self-Determination Mare Ushkovska International Communities Organisation Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp Part of the Human Rights Law Commons, International Law Commons, and the Public Policy Commons Recommended Citation Ushkovska, Mare (2019) "European Union Integration and National Self-Determination," New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 31 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol31/iss2/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in New England Journal of Public Policy by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. New England Journal of Public Policy European Union Integration and National Self-Determination Mare Ushkovska International Communities Organisation Recent demands for secession in several EU member states bring the issue of self- determination to the forefront of the debate about the future of the European Union. This article explores the European Union’s attitudes toward the international right to self- determination in the context of the rising salience of the greater political union between member states. The focus of the European project, in direct contrast to the glorification of nationhood, is on consensual decision-making rather than sovereignty, making self- determination obsolete in a reality of EU integration. This research finds that recognition of, or references to, the right to self-determination of peoples are absent from EU law sources.