Federalizam u Evropi
Federalism in Europe

Summary/Abstract: Federalism as a polycentric system of government is a relatively new phenomenon, though its history reaches back into Antiquity. Contemporary federalism, as a specific form of political and constitutional institutionalization of society has been applied in practice since the late 18th and early 19th century in North America and Western Europe. Its application is determined by a range of ethnic, cultural, national, historical, geographical and other elements, and as a result, federalism manifests itself differently in European countries. However, the idea and practice of federalism in the countries of Western Europe always includes the aspiration to mould the system of government in a way that will achieve a balance between the parts and the whole, between special and common interests. In its broadest sense, federalism denotes a complex and pluralistic conception of social and political life. The countries of Western Europe differ fundamentally in their application of the principles of federalism. In recent decades, however, despite all these differences, federalism has become an ever more present system of government as a result of the process of European integration, democratization and centralization. Its application is particularly pronounced in large countries and in those with a multiethnic population.

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