2012 Articles

Italy Accepts the Supremacy of European Community Law

Srour, Ramy

Why did Italy accept the supremacy of EC law? I argue that economic downturns characterized by high unemployment and high inflation, an overwhelming public support for European integration, and a European agenda that emphasized integration and the harmonization of national laws, all converged in leading the Italian government to internalize the norm of supremacy. I process-trace between 1979 and 1989. The research suggests that theories of economic cooperation ought to emphasize the importance of domestic political calculations. The project intends to shed light on the conditions under which a state may relinquish its sovereignty, and the implications this may have on the meaning of cooperation.