The European Centre for Research on Federalism

The European Centre for Research on Federalism (ECRF), established in 1993 by professors from various faculties and disciplines of the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, deals with different aspects of the territorial dimension of politics in Europe, including the European Union (understood as a multi-level system):

• the impact of federal principles on the territorial structure of European states and the EU, and on decision-making processes in various policy fields;
• processes of decentralisation, regionalisation and federalisation within European states;
• the role of regions and municipalities as actors within the respective states, in the EU-system, and in cross-border cooperation.

In its activities in the above mentioned fields, the ECRF puts emphasis on linking theory and practice, on transnational/international cooperation, and on an interdisciplinary approach. Amongst these activities are: doing research projects; organising conferences; cooperating with respective institutions in Europe and worldwide (in the framework of the IACFS) and further developing this network; and, last not least, editing the following publications: