The European Union as a supranational association and the problem of state sovereignty

Abstract

The objective was to analyze the European Union EU as a supranational association, which, in turn, leads to problems of state sovereignty. The methodology employed consisted of general and special scientific methods. Sovereignty is an archaic political construct. There are two opposites: one focuses on the state and proclaims that sovereignty resides in a particular level of government, the parliament and the government derived from it; the other is the multilevel approach that presents sovereignty through a new prism, claiming that the concept itself is obsolete, challenging globalization and integration. The ability and right of existing states to exercise supreme authority over their territory, control access to it and defend their citizens has become more difficult to exercise. To conclude, globalization, transnational trade, culture and travel are just some of the factors that have challenged the effective capacity of the state. To adapt to these transformations, sovereignties are joined or shared with other states, as states are the main actors in an organization such as the EU because their interaction is so complex and intense that it has modified their independence.