Policy-Making Processes and the European Constitution

A Comparative Study of Member States and Accession Countries

Thomas König, Simon Hug, Thomas König, Simon Hug

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9780415385077
• eBook ISBN: 9781134173358
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This newvolume presents a wealth offresh data documenting and analyzing the different positions taken by governments in the development of the European Constitution.

It examines how suchdecisions have substantial effects on the sovereignty of nation states and on the lives of citizens, independent of the ratification of a constitution. Few efforts have been made to document constitution building in a systematic and comparative manner, including the different steps and stages of this process. This book examines European Constitution-building by tracing the two-level policy formation process from the draft proposal of the European Convention until the Intergovernmental Conference, which finally adopted the document on the Constitution in June 2004. Following a tight comparative framework, it sheds light on reactions to the proposed constitution in the domestic arena of all the actors involved. It includes a chapter on each of the original ten member states and the fifteen accession states, plus key chapters on the European Commission and European Parliament.

This book will be of strong interest to scholars and researchers of European Union politics, comparative politics, and policy-making.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Figures
• Tables
• About the Contributors
• Series Editor’s Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. The European Convention and the Rome and Brussels IGCs: A Veto Players Analysis
• 2. The European Convention: Consensus Without Unity?
• 3. Austria: The Coordination of the National Position Regarding the Constitution
• 4. Belgium, the Convention and the IGC: Consensus and Coalition Politics
• 5. Cyprus: Under the Shadow of the Inter–Communal Conflict
• 6. The Czech Republic: Sitting On the Fence
• 7. Denmark: The Nordic Model As an Effort to Bridge Elite Euro-Optimism and Popular Euro-Skepticism
• 8. Estonia: A Single Voice In Europe’s Intergovernmental Bargaining
• 9. Finland: Centralized Consensus On EU Constitution Building
• 10. France: The President Takes All
• 11. Germany: The Promoter of European Integration?
• 12. Greece: Overcoming Negative Stereotyping
• 13. Hungary: United In Support, Divided By Borders
• 14. Ireland: Pragmatism and the EU Constitution
• 15. Italy: The Presidency At Work?
• 16. Latvia and the EU Constitution: A Pragmatic “Yes”
• 17. Lithuania: A Priority for Europe
• 18. Luxembourg, the Convention and the IGC: Consensus and Concern for Its Economy
• 19. Malta: The Importance of Being Unimportant
• 20. The Netherlands: Domestic Preference Formation On the European Constitution
• 21. Poland: The Struggle for Nice
• 22. Portugal: Quest for a New Role
• 23. Slovakia: Avoiding Conflict to Secure Stability
• 24. Slovenia: Consensus, Integration and the Protection of Identity
• 25. Spain: Preference Formation and European Constitution Building
• 26. Sweden’s “Third Way” Toward the EU Constitution: Promoting Social Policies and Safeguarding Neutrality
• 27. The United Kingdom: Position Taking and the Protection of Red Lines
• 28. The Commission, the Convention and the IGC: Consensus and Concern for Its Role
• 29. The European Parliament: Consensus and Coordination for Enhanced Powers
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1: Questions Employed and Results of Factor Analysis
• Appendix 2: The Measure of Adapted Coherence for the Evaluation of Experts
• Bibliography