BORDERS, NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION - THE BRITISH-IRISH CASE

This paper uses a case study of the British-Irish border region to explore the relationship between European integration and national sovereignty. Drawing on interview material and survey research, it examines the interaction between ethno-national conflict, the progress towards cross-border economic cooperation, and the policies of two rather different, if highly centralized, EU states. In particular, it examines two issues, the operation of the EU's INTERREG Initiative for border areas, and the strengthening of the Irish border via road closures and fortifications. The conclusions suggest that EU membership, the economic strategies of both states and their management of the Northern Ireland conflict provide little evidence that national sovereignty and the salience of national boundaries are being undermined. National sovereignty may even be strengthened where economic peripherality interacts with high degrees of state centralization and ongoing conflict. Finally, the paper supports the view that nation-states emphasize economic rationality less than political and security objectives in the administration and development of border regions.