Supranationalism

A political and legal concept which first emerged with the Treaty of Paris in 1951, defining the reorganization of a “new” Europe. The term refers to the delegation or transfer of decision-making powers to multiple political entities in a federation. The European Union is often described as a “supranational body” as policies are implemented at both the national and regional levels. In fact in some areas, the supranational institutions of the EU (European Commission and Council of Europe) have greater jurisdiction or authority than national governments. Supranationalism is often contrasted to intergovernmentalism. There are many theorists and academics who argue that the EU is an “intergovernmental body”: despite the fact that certain powers have been handed to other actors in the union, national governments still retain ultimate sovereignty.