The European Union as a long-term political actor: an overview

Vogt, Henri; Pukarinen, Aappo

doi:10.1080/2474736x.2022.2043725

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Research suggests that technocrats themselves may feel their capacity to pursue long-term goals is an important part of their authority. A study of the European Commission notes that its officials like to contrast themselves positively in this respect with their political colleagues in the European Council, whose authority is tied to national elections and where the turnover of personnel is faster (Vogt & Pukarinen, 2022, pp. 8–9).…”

Section: The Case For Technocratic Long-sightednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technocratic myopia: On the pitfalls of depoliticising the future

White

2024

European Journal of Social Theory

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That democratic authorities are systematically focused on short-term considerations is a charge often made. This ‘democratic myopia’ thesis typically becomes the basis for advocating the empowerment of technocratic institutions, for example in economic policy. Much less examined is what one may call the technocratic myopia thesis – the possibility that technocratic institutions have their own distinctive drivers of short-termism. This article presents the case, with reference to the legitimacy forms, epistemologies and organisational structures in which technocratic authority is grounded. The suggestion is that not only may technocrats fall short of the claims to long-sightedness made of them, but that this is directly bound up in some of the core features of the technocratic method. The article goes on to discuss the implications for how contemporary societies govern the future in key domains of public policy.

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Section: The Case For Technocratic Long-sightednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technocratic myopia: On the pitfalls of depoliticising the future

White

2024

European Journal of Social Theory

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“…Third, we support the literature that argues that the Commission can use crises to expand its powers (Debre & Dijkstra, 2021; Degner, 2019). Often, the argument is that the Commission can play a long‐term game because it has a longer time horizon than member state governments (Vogt & Pukarinen, 2022). We offer an instructive empirical example from a politicized field, which shows how the Commission used a 20‐year‐old piece of legislation once the preference constellation in the Council was ‘right’.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making EU refugee policy in 2001, applying it in 2022: Directive 2001/55/EC and its use in 2022

Fink,

Kader

2023

Contemporary European Politics

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The Ukraine crisis brings European Union (EU) refugee policy into the spotlight. Temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees was granted under Directive 2001/55/EC—a directive that had never been applied until 2022. This article seeks to explain why a directive that had not been used for 20 years was now applied. Our argument rests on liberal intergovernmentalism: Conflicts between countries with high and low migration pressure dominated negotiations in the Council of Ministers. These intergovernmental conflicts were not solved but built into the wording of the Directive. Each attempt to apply the Directive triggered a new round of intergovernmental conflict. However, in the Ukraine crisis, the cost–benefit calculation of the countries that had hitherto opposed application of the Directive changed, because they received most of the refugees. Hence, a policy window opened, and the Commission could use old ‘dormant’ legislation to further integration.

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Political long‐termism and the European Union: Five research questions for the future

Leruth

2024

Contemporary European Politics

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This article introduces the concept of political long‐termism, defined as the conscious choice to prioritise the future consequences of today's political actions over their short‐term benefits and emphasises its relevance in the realm of European Studies. It contends that the European Union (EU), in theory, possesses the potential to address creeping crises more effectively than its member states, while acknowledging the varying degrees of support for political long‐termism within different EU institutions. The article advocates for additional research to explore the EU and international organisations' role in fostering political long‐termism, an area that has seen limited empirical investigation. To do so, it proposes five research questions as a starting point to establish political long‐termism as a subdiscipline of European Studies. As such, it aims to set the agenda by shedding light on the intertemporal aspect of EU politics.

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The European Union as a long-term political actor: an overview

Cited by 4 publications

References 42 publications

Technocratic myopia: On the pitfalls of depoliticising the future

Technocratic myopia: On the pitfalls of depoliticising the future

Making EU refugee policy in 2001, applying it in 2022: Directive 2001/55/EC and its use in 2022

Political long‐termism and the European Union: Five research questions for the future

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