EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND THE NATIONALITIES QUESTION

European integration questions the relationship between nation and state. It undermines traditional sovereignty and weakens the need for statehood. Minority nationalist movements have often adopted the European theme, adjusting their strategy accordingly. Some have used regionalist themes to construct new systems of action below and beyond the state. Europe provides opportunities for territorial movements and grants minority protections. There are differences between Western, Central and Eastern Europe because of the evolution of state structures. The prospective European constitution risks formalizing the European Union as a two-level game of states and the Union, with little room for regional claims.