Erosion of sovereignty

Infringement of national sovereignty
Diminishing power of the state

Nature

The principle of national sovereignty is eroding because of increased interdependence between nations, regions and continents and because of increased vigour of sub-national regions.

Background

The erosion of sovereignty emerged as a global concern in the late 20th century, as economic globalization, supranational institutions, and transnational challenges—such as climate change and cyber threats—began to constrain national autonomy. The 1990s saw heightened debate following the expansion of the European Union and the proliferation of international treaties. Scholars and policymakers increasingly recognized that traditional notions of absolute state sovereignty were being fundamentally altered by these interconnected pressures.

Incidence

The development of the European Community is creating a super-national entity with increasingly important smaller regions, such as Scotland, Wales, Catalonia, Euzkadi, Flanders, Wallonia, Sicily, Piedmont, Venetia, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Bavaria, which will outlast the 12 nations that make up the Community.

Counter-claim

National sovereignty is an out of date concept encouraging governments to lose power to narrow internal interests. For example, farmer's pressure groups representing a small number of people prevent rational farm policies in much of the developed world. Transnational problems like drug trafficking, international fraud and environmental pollution are not dealt with transnationally because of the concept of national sovereignty.