Between nation-state, regionalism and world society: The European integration process

In this article, I aim to discuss the problems associated with European integration with particular reference to the integration processes taking place within the European Union (EU), I intend to deal with the topic in five sections: (1) how an abstract model for understanding and explaining the development of larger collective units, exemplified by the emergence of European nation-states, can provide the tools for understanding and explaining the development of the EU as a supranational collective unit; (2) the economic problems of integration; (3) the political problems of integration; (4) the problems of integration regarding bonds of solidarity; (5) the cultural problems of integration.