Europeanization has become a key topic in analysis of the politics of the new
Europe. This broad-ranging new text focuses centrally on the impact of the EU on its
member states, but also on the way in which states 'up-load' their policy priorities to
the European level.
ROBERT LADRECH is a senior lecturer in Politics and director of the
Keele European Research Centre at Keele University, UK.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
Europeanization of member states: what significance? 2
Why Europeanization rather than globalization? 4
Explaining the emergence of the Europeanization concept 7
Development and (near) consolidation of an approach 12
Organization of the book 16
1 Europeanization: Conceptual Developments and a Framework for Analysis 19
What is the meaning of 'member state'? 19
The direction of influence: 'top-down' 21
Dimensions of domestic change: where does the EU affect its member states? 23
Polity (institutions) 25
Policy 29
Mechanisms of domestic change: how does the EU impact its member states? 31
Outcome of domestic change: what is the extent of change? 35
Europeanization and the post-communist experience 38
A methodological consideration 40
2 National Executives 44
EU decision-making and national executives 44
A privileged position? 46
From pressures of membership to misfit 51
National coordination of EU affairs 53
Institutional adjustment to EU policy output 61
Strengthening of the national executive vis-a-vis national legislatures 66
The national executive in the post-communist context 67
Conclusion: explaining national variation in executive change 69
National Parliaments 71
National parliaments: 'losers' in the integration process? 71
Role and responsibilities of national parliaments in EU affairs 73
Institutional change: multiple causes? 76
European Union influence on post-communist parliaments 87
Conclusion 88
4 Centre-Regional Relations 92
The changing nature of territorial relations in Western Europe 93
National and regional interests in EU policy-making 96
Compound states 99
Simple states 106
Regional developments in post-communist member states 109
Mechanisms of change in central-regional relations 110
Conclusion 111
5 National Courts 114
Legal integration and mechanisms of change: the development of the ECJ 116
New roles for national courts 119
The post-communist experience 123
Conclusion 125
6 Political Parties 128
Parties, politics and the EU 129
Europeanization and domestic politics 130
Europeanization and political parties 134
Europeanization and parties in post-communist member states 140
Conclusion 143
7 Interest Groups and Social Movements 146
How does the EU affect interest group behaviour? 148
How does the EU affect social movements? 149
How do interest groups and social movements respond to EU policy outputs? 151
Europeanization and post-communist interest groups and social movements 160
Conclusion 162
8 National Policy 165
EU policy and national policy-making systems 165
Types of EU policy influence on member states: 'hard' and 'soft' 168
The domestic impact of 'hard' EU policies 172
The domestic impact of 'soft' policies 182
Post-communist experience of policy change: adaptation or transformation? 185
Conclusion 187
9 Foreign Policy 190
Developing a European foreign policy? 192
Europeanization and national foreign policy: dimensions and mechanisms 194
Europeanization and foreign policy change: methodological issues 199
Europeanization and foreign policy change: is there a singular post-communist dimension?
202
Conclusion 204
10 Conclusion 206
Relations between member states and Brussel 207
Europeanization and national state transformation 208
Europeanization as a normative concern 211
Concluding remarks 213
Bibliography 216
Index 233
240 pages, Paperback
