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Interview with Michael Geary
Michael Geary is one of several Visiting Fellows researching at the Institute for European Global Studies this year. In this interview Michael Geary introduces his research project: Integration or Disintegration? Why the European Union needs a Post-enlargement Policy.
Welcome to the Institute for European Global Studies, Michael Geary! What kind of research project will you pursue during your stay in Basel?
At the Institute, I will work on a number of interrelated projects. I am currently working on two book manuscripts. The first of these focuses on the relationship between the process of EU integration and the impact that successive rounds of enlargement has had on that process. So, does a wider Europe lead to a stronger or weaker EU? In particular, I focus on certain policy fields, like monetary and foreign policy. The second book that I’m working on deals with Britain’s troubled relationship with the integration process over the past 40 years. Here, I trace the London-Brussels dynamic from the Heath government of the 1970s through to the present Cameron government. During my stay in Basel, I will also work on a number of journal articles that examine the Common Fisheries Policy and the 1970-72 EEC/EU enlargement negotiations.
Why did you choose this specific topic?
I have had a long interest in Europe, international politics and I remain fascinated by the EU and how it works. I am also very curious about the relationship between deeper integration and further expansion and if or when the enlargement process will stop. Even the United States stopped expanding. But central to my curiosity is whether enlargement is having a positive or negative impact on the integration process. The ‘British Question’ had long intrigued me. My research is focusing on whether a British separation or divorce is in London’s and the EU’s best interests in light of the possible referendum on the subject in 2017.
How does the topic relate to European Global Studies?
My research is very relevant to today’s Europe. The EU continues to expand: Croatia joined the EU last year and many more countries are seeking association or full membership. The most politically sensitive of these is Turkey. Enlargement has a significant transformative impact on those countries that have joined and as we see with the Ukraine, it can have a deeply geo-political impact. My work on Britain and the EU is timely in light of the 2017 referendum and the expected renegotiations that will precede it. Both issues strongly affect the EU as a global actor and could potentially influence its future internal direction.
What are you most excited about regarding your stay in Basel?
The Swiss Alps! Switzerland is a country with one foot in EU’s door but is not a member. I have long wanted to spend some quality time in the country and anyone I talk to tell me that Basel is a beautiful city. I am very much looking forward to taking advantage see the cultural delights that Switzerland has to offer.
Thank you for the interview, Michael Geary.