The National Co-ordination of EU Policy Volume 2: The European Level

by Kassim, Hussein; Menon, Anand; Peters, B. Guy; Wright, Vincent

• ISBN13: 9780199248056
• ISBN10: 0199248052
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-02-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book is the second of two volumes that examine how EU member states co-ordinate their European policies. In this second volume, the focus is on the European level. The book investigates the strategies deployed by eleven member states -- Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece,Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom - and examines the role played by the permanent representation, and the structures and processes that link national officials in Brussels and at home. From a comparative perspective, the book identifies and assesses the organisation, functions and effectiveness of the permanent representation, and the part that it plays in the national system of co-ordination. It considers the influences that have shaped systems of national co-ordination -- thedemands exerted by Union membership, the institutional structure of the national polity, the pre-existing balance between domestic institutions, administrative norms and values, and attitudes, both popular and elite, to European integration. It assesses the extent to which there has been aconvergent response to the administrative challenges posed by membership on the part of the member states or whether a pattern of divergence endures. The question of effectiveness is also addressed.The companion volume explores co-ordination institutions, structures and procedures at the domestic level. Looking at ten member states, it offers a comprehensive comparative analysis of the way in national governments organise European policy making.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	ix
List of Figures	xii
List of Tables	xiii
Introduction: Co-ordinating National Action in Brussels	1	(46)
Hussein Kassim
Representing the United Kingdom in Brussels: The Fine Art of Positive Co-ordination	47	(28)
Hussein Kassim
The French Administration in Brussels	75	(26)
Anand Menon
The German Case: A Key Moderator in a Competitive Multi-Level Environment	101	(28)
Andreas Maurer
Wolfgang Wessels
Italy	129	(18)
Giacinto della Cananea
Permanent Challenges? Representing Grece in Brussels	147	(21)
Calliope Spanou
The Portuguese Permanent Representation in Brussels: The Institutionalization of a Simple System	168	(23)
Jose M. Magone
The Belgian Permanent Representation to the European Union: Mailbox, Messenger, or Representative?	191	(20)
Bart Kerremans
Jan Beyers
Dual Loyalties: The Dutch Permanent Representation to the Europen Union	211	(18)
Ben Soetendorp
Rudy B. Andeweg
Ministerial Government at the European Level: The Case of Austria	229	(27)
Wolfgang C. Muller
The Swedish Permanent Representation to the European Union: Melding National and Collective Interests	256	(21)
Sonia Mazey
National Co-ordination in Brussels: The Role of Ireland's Permanent Representation	277	(20)
Brigid Laffan
Conclusion: Co-ordinating National Action in Brussels---a Comparative Perspective	297	(46)
Hussein Kassim
B. Guy Peters
Index	343