EUropean (dis)integration: implications for the Cohesion Policy

Our paper paves the way for discussing the significance of European disintegration for the EU cohesion policy. It relies on an interdisciplinary literature review outlining how geography and political science grasp the concepts of EUropean integration and disintegration. This review is mobilised to operationalise a reflection framework in capacity to understanding key aspects entangling (dis)integration. The reintroduction of border controls between 2015 and 2019 is one of the most concrete facets of disintegration. The analytical framework explores on an exploratory level (dis)integration tendencies emerging from border controls. This paper argues that disintegration is not simply ‘integration reverse’ and suggests dimensions for investigating it. The paper concludes by outlining a series of fundamental questions for cohesion policy.