The Member States of the European Union

by Bulmer, Simon; Lequesne, Christian

• ISBN13: 9780199252817
• ISBN10: 0199252815
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book is the most comprehensive study of the European member states available. It covers the principal member states in separate chapters, as well as bringing together the smaller member states in comparative groupings, and also includes a chapter on the new member states. The countrychapters look at the wider political issues associated with integration and not just policy machinery. In order to help readers understand the interaction of the member states, there are sections that cover analytical and empirical themes such as EU member relations and the European economy.

Author Biography

Simon Bulmer is Jean Monet Professor of European Politics at the University of Manchester.
Christian Lequesne is Research Director at the Centre Francais de Recherche en Science Sociales in Prague.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
List of Boxes	xiv
List of Figures	xv
List of Tables	xvi
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms	xvii
List of Contributors	xix
1 The European Union and its Member States: An Overview	1	(20)
Introduction	2	(3)
Analysing the role of member states in the EU	5	(5)
Intergovernmentalism: the member state at the centre of EU bargaining	5	(2)
Institutionalism and member state-EU relations	7	(2)
New governance approaches and member state-EU relations	9	(1)
Analysing Europeanization	10	(5)
An interactive approach to constructivism	15	(1)
Previewing the book	16	(5)
Part 1 Analytical Approaches	21	(50)
Introduction	23	(48)
2 Exercising Power and Influence in the European Union: The Roles of Member States	25	(20)
Introduction	26	(3)
Points of access in the EU system for the member governments	29	(7)
Policy design	29	(2)
Policy negotiation	31	(2)
Policy legitimation	33	(1)
Policy implementation	34	(2)
Power and influence in the EU system	36	(6)
Political weight	38	(1)
Political practice	38	(1)
Economic weight	39	(1)
Social and economic practice	40	(1)
Persuasive ideas	40	(1)
Compelling demands	40	(1)
Credibility and consistency	41	(1)
Drawing comparative conclusions	42	(3)
3 Europeanization: How the European Union Interacts with its Member States	45	(28)
Introduction	46	(1)
From bottom-up to top-down	47	(2)
Studying the effect of the European Union on the member states	49	(13)
Dimensions of domestic change	49	(1)
Mechanisms of domestic change	49	(1)
Inconvenient Europe: misfit as the necessary condition of domestic change	50	(1)
The domestic impact of Europe: redistributing resources	52	(1)
The domestic impact of Europe as a process of socialization	54	(1)
The domestic impact of Europe as a process of institutional adaptation	56	(2)
Outcome of domestic change	58	(1)
Deep impact? The scope of domestic change	58	(1)
Coming together or driving apart? The direction of domestic change	61	(1)
Bringing the bottom-up perspective back in	62	(9)
Part 2 The Member States	71	(210)
Introduction	73	(136)
4 Germany and Europe: Centrality in the EU	77	(20)
Introduction	78	(1)
History and politics of the European issue in Germany	78	(4)
European diplomacy	82	(4)
Integration and institutional adaptation in Germany	86	(2)
Integration and policy adaptation in Germany	88	(5)
Conclusions	93	(4)
5 France: Between Integration and National Sovereignty	97	(22)
Introduction	98	(1)
French diplomacy for Europe-history and politics	98	(8)
Extending French influence through European integration	98	(1)
The Birth of Europe	99	(1)
European defence	99	(1)
Deepening European integration	100	(1)
Political union	101	(1)
Social Europe	102	(1)
Economic and monetary union	102	(1)
Increasing tensions between contradictory goals	103	(1)
The Maastricht aftermath	104	(1)
Redefining Europe's role in the new world order	104	(2)
Institutional and policy adaptation in France	106	(9)
Formal structures	106	(1)
Direct constitutional and legal adaptation	106	(1)
Reorganization of governmental structure	107	(1)
French regions in a multilevel system	108	(1)
Public policy adjustment	109	(1)
Public opinion and political cleavages	110	(1)
Support for European integration	110	(1)
The partisan system	112	(1)
Social movements and protests	113	(2)
Conclusion	115	(4)
6 The United Kingdom: A Europeanized Government in a non-Europeanized Polity	119	(23)
Introduction	119	(1)
Britain's European diplomacy	120	(7)
The EU and British politics	127	(4)
Britain and the European Union: institutional adaptation	131	(4)
Britain and the European Union: policy adaptation	135	(4)
Conclusions	139	(3)
7 Italy and Spain: A Tale of Contrasting Effectiveness in the EU	142	(22)
Introduction	143	(1)
History and politics of the European issue	143	(3)
Motivations for membership	143	(1)
The foreign policy context	143	(2)
Public opinion and political parties	145	(1)
The institutional framework	146	(3)
Institutions at the national level	146	(2)
Regional authorities	148	(1)
EU policy-making	149	(7)
The relationship between European law and national law	149	(1)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister	150	(3)
The role of the national parliaments	153	(2)
The role of the regions and of the autonomous communities	155	(1)
European diplomacy	156	(3)
Negotiation techniques and EU alliance-building	156	(2)
Italy and Spain: allies or rivals?	158	(1)
Conclusion	159	(5)
8 The Benelux Countries: Identity and Self-interest	164	(21)
Introduction	164	(1)
Identity and self-interest	165	(3)
Political identity	166	(1)
Enviromental self-interest	166	(1)
Unity with diversity	167	(1)
Preference and policy	168	(5)
Multilateral market access	168	(1)
The Schuman Plan	169	(1)
Towards the Common Market	170	(1)
Support for supranational authority	171	(2)
Distribution and adjustment	173	(3)
Integration and business	173	(1)
A pro-stability bias?	174	(1)
Rescuing the nation state	175	(1)
Institutions and adaptation	176	(4)
Goodness of fit	177	(1)
Interest and institutional context	178	(1)
Idiosyncrasy and persistence	179	(1)
Conclusion: self interest and identity	180	(5)
9 The EU and the Nordic Countries: Organizing Domestic Diversity?	185	(24)
Introduction	186	(1)
Theorizing the relationship between the EU and its Member States	187	(2)
The history and politics of the European issue	189	(3)
Bottom-up processes: aiming at influencing EU level policy-making	192	(8)
Nordic governments	192	(5)
Nordic parliaments	197	(1)
Nordic political parties	198	(1)
Nordic interest groups	199	(1)
Top-down processes: how the EU impacts on the domestic level	200	(3)
How domestic politics is affected	200	(1)
Institutional adaptation at the national level	201	(1)
Policy adaptation at the national level	202	(1)
Conclusion	203	(6)
10 The Europeanization of Austria and Ireland: Small can be Difficult?	209	(20)
Introduction	210	(1)
The European issue before and after membership	211	(2)
The European issue in Ireland	211	(1)
The European issue in Austria	212	(1)
Institutional adaptation	213	(8)
Ireland	213	(1)
Central government and administration	214	(1)
Parliament	214	(1)
The regions	215	(1)
Private interests	216	(1)
Austria	217	(1)
Central government and administration	217	(1)
Parliament	219	(1)
The regions	220	(1)
Private interests	220	(1)
Policy adaptation	221	(3)
Ireland	221	(1)
Austria	222	(2)
Outlook: a critical juncture?	224	(5)
11 Greece and Portugal: Convergent or Divergent Europeanization?	229	(25)
Introduction	230	(1)
The politics of Greek and Portuguese accession	230	(2)
The ambiguity of being European	232	(3)
External links	232	(1)
Dependence	233	(1)
Unequivocal membership	234	(1)
Managing dependence as EU member states	235	(4)
Europeanization and economic nationalism	235	(1)
Neighbours rediscovered	236	(2)
Europe as a means of finance	238	(1)
Migratory flows and the new European order	238	(1)
The restructuring of state intervention	239	(5)
Increased public spending	239	(2)
Changing fields of intervention	241	(1)
Problem of administrative adaptation	242	(2)
Changing modes of government	244	(6)
Politicized centralization	244	(2)
Delegation and privatization	246	(2)
Political culture	248	(1)
Implementation gaps	249	(1)
Conclusion: neither convergence nor divergence	250	(4)
12 The New Member States and the EU: Responding to Europe	254	(27)
Introduction	255	(7)
The history of the European issue	262	(6)
Negotiating accession and beyond	268	(3)
Patterns of Europeanization I: polity and politics	271	(3)
Patterns of Europeanization II: public policy effects	274	(2)
Conclusions	276	(5)
Part 3 Europeanization	281	(107)
Introduction	283	(2)
13 The Europeanization of Member State Institutions	285	(32)
Introduction	286	(1)
National governments and the EU	287	(10)
The impact on national governments	288	(4)
Interaction with the EU	292	(5)
Parliaments and the EU	297	(6)
The impact on national parliaments	297	(1)
Interaction with the EU	298	(5)
Sub-national authorities	303	(4)
Impact on sub-national authorities	303	(2)
Interaction with the EU	305	(2)
National courts	307	(3)
Impact on national courts	307	(3)
Interaction with the EU	310	(1)
Conclusion	310	(7)
14 The Europeanization of Interest Groups and Political Parties	317	(21)
Introduction	318	(1)
Europeanization and political forces	319	(2)
Parties and interest groups	321	(2)
Changing opportunity structures: interest groups	323	(5)
Assessing the Europeanization of interest groups	325	(3)
Changing opportunity structures: political parties	328	(6)
Assessing the Europeanization of political parties	332	(2)
Conclusions and outlook	334	(4)
15 The Europeanization of National Policy	338	(22)
Why Europeanization?	339	(2)
Types of Europeanization	341	(5)
Governance by negotiation	342	(1)
Governance by hierarchy	343	(1)
Positive integration	344	(1)
Negative integration	344	(1)
Facilitated coordination	345	(1)
Understanding the dynamics of Europeanization	346	(5)
Goodness of fit	346	(2)
Regulatory competition	348	(1)
Learning	349	(2)
Researching Europeanization	351	(3)
Empirical overview	354	(1)
Conclusion	355	(5)
16 The Europeanization of National Economies?	360	(28)
Introduction	361	(2)
Post-war varieties of capitalism	363	(2)
The pressures for change	365	(4)
Changing government policies	369	(8)
Policy change in the 1970's	369	(1)
Policy change in the 1980's	370	(3)
Policy change in the 1990's and early 2000's	373	(4)
Changing business practices and industrial relations	377	(5)
Differential impact of financial markets on corporate governance	377	(4)
Differences in corporate production patterns and performance	381	(1)
Conclusion	382	(6)
Conclusion	388	(5)
Index	393