Explaining differentiation in European Union treaties

Author (Person) ,
Series Title
Series Details Vol.17, No.4, December 2016, p616–637
Publication Date December 2016
ISSN 1465-1165
Content Type

Abstract:

Since the early 1990s, European integration has become increasingly differentiated. Analysing the conditions under which member states make use of the opportunity to opt out of, or exclude other countries from, European integration, we argue that different explanations apply to treaty and accession negotiations, respectively.

Threatening to block deeper integration, member states with strong national identities secure differentiations in treaty reform. In enlargement, in turn, old member states fear economic disadvantages and low administrative capacity and therefore impose differentiation on poor newcomers. Opt-outs from treaty revisions are limited to the area of core state powers, whereas they also occur in the market in the context of enlargement.

Source Link http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1465116516640386
Subject Categories
Countries / Regions