This paper looks at the interactions of supranational and intergovernmental policies in the Eurozone during the 2008 financial and sovereign debt crisis. I argue that during this critical-juncture the current European integration theories are unable to explain the pendulum-like movement between supranational policies and intergovernmental policies. European integration theories are able to explain one or the other, but not the movement between the two.
I begin by presenting a short-review of contemporary European integration theories. To test the validity of European integration theories, I study one case with a process-tracing through policy documents of Germany and I unfold its dual role in intergovernmental negotiations and in supranational policy-making
In the end, I argue that a new avenue needs to be considered in order to obtain a more parsimonious theory of European integration. The actual theories break down during times of crises and they need to be actualized.
