Study Notes
Confederalism
- Level:
- AS, A-Level
- Board:
- AQA, Edexcel, OCR, IB
Last updated 22 Mar 2021
Confederalism is a system of organisation in which there is a union of states with each member state retaining some independent control over both internal and external affairs. For international purposes there are separate states rather than just one state.
This can be contrasted with a federation, in which there is a union of states with some internal control but external affairs are controlled by a central government, in which the states are represented in a unified mannerThe European Union is a type of confederation. It operates common economic policies, there are common laws that enables a single economic market with open internal borders, a common currency but each member also has control over many internal affairs. So, the EU doesn’t have exclusive powers over taxation, defence and foreign affairs. Laws must be transcribed sometimes into national laws by their own parliaments, and decisions by member states require special majorities – with blocking minorities accounted for. Furthermore, treaty amendment requires ratification by all member states before coming into force.
Therefore, academic observers have claimed that the EU would be a fully fledged federation, but remains a confederation due to the Member States’ exclusive power to amend or change the constitutive treaties of the EU, and the EU lacks a real ‘tax and spend’ capacity as fiscal power is retained by the member states.