Decision-Making in the European Union

Abstract

The European Union series is designed to provide an authoritative library on the European Union ranging from general introductory texts to definitive assessments of key institutions and actors, policies and policy processes, and the role of member states.Books in the series are written by leading scholars in their fields and reflect the most up-to-date research and debate. Particular attention is paid to accessibility and clear presentation for a wide audience of students, practitioners and interested general readers.The series consists of four major strands:• general textbooks • the major institutions and actors

The Incidental Fortress: The Single European Market and World Trade

“…Con sequent ly, they often embed intra-EU 'synergistic linkages'. This further raises the thresh old for producing policy change because changing one policy may un pick a wider compromise agreement based on a package deal (Avery, 1995;Peterson and Bomberg, 1999). Further, the number of member governments involved in adopting any EU rule means that the policy process tends to be quite open at elite level to both ideas and actors (Peters, 1994;Wessels, 1997;Wallace, 2000;Young and Wallace 2000).…”

Europeanization of British Defence Policy

“…some of the criticisms in the extant literature have argued that international negotiations are not a process in which governments try to maximize national interests in each issue area. furthermore, they argue that negotiators are willing to accept disadvantageous negotiations on some issues providing that the entire negotiated package has more potential benefits than costs (peterson and Bomberg 1999;richardson 1996, 14-24). these criticisms have not been validated by the example of the EsDp negotiations.…”

Sovereignty and European Integration: Deconstruction or Reconstruction of State Authority?

“…In contrast, network analysis is set to uncover the behind-the-scenes negotiation and exchange that can shape policies at a day-to-day level. According to Peterson and Bomberg (1999), a policy network is "a cluster of actors, each of which has an interest or stake in a given EU policy sector and the capacity to help determine policy success or failure." Policy networks at the EU level usually bring together institutional actors (European Commission, European Council, and European Parliament) and other stake holders such as representatives from private firms, public interest groups, technical or scientific experts, and most importantly, national officials.…”

“…Path dependency means that it is hard to change a policy even when it outlives its usefulness. The "costs" in terms of time and resources already invested of agreeing on a policy in the first place are often considerable, and the idea of starting again on a long, time-consuming, and expensive process of agreeing on a new policy is resisted for that reason (Pierson, 1996;Peterson & Bomberg, 1999).…”