ASTK12161U European Union Decision Making

Volume 2013/2014
Content

This course introduces students of EU studies, political science and public administration to the multilevel intricacies of EU decision making. For the purpose the students are introduced to the basic power relations between the central EU institutions, their powers, prerogatives and ultimately the way these influence the legislative process. Students will be acquainted with the impediments and hindrances EU legislation experiences in the course of its creation as a result of the various power games and political struggles which the EU institutions host.

The course follows the structure bellow:

  1. Introduction
  2. Intergovernmentalism
  3. Neo-Functionalis
  4. European Decision Making
  5. The European Parliament
  6. The Council of Ministers
  7. The European Commission
  8. The European Court of Justice
  9. The European Central Bank
  10. Implementation in the EU
  11. Institutional Change in the EU
  12. National Parliaments in the EU
  13. Lobbying in the EU
  14. NGOs in the EU

The course starts by introducing the students to the leading theoretical approaches from the field of European integration. Following these sessions the students will be acquainted with the basic premises of EU decision making, the relevant actors, the division of power etc. The central institutions of the EU will follow in the course structure, putting emphasis on the triangulated relationship between the Commission, the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, but also illuminating the roles of the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. The next two sessions deal with implementation of EU legislation and institutional change thereby shifting the focus partially towards the Member States of the EU and their participation in the integration process. The last three session are entirely devoted to the actors outside the official EU framework e.g. national parliaments, lobbyists and NGOs. This structure will ensure that students are aware of every important factor in the European decision making. 

Learning Outcome

The objective of the course is to enable the students to:

  • Gain basic understanding of the political process at the EU level.
  • Describe the principle actors in the EU decision making process.
  • Implement the leading theoretical approaches to events from the EU level.
  • Analyze strategically and conceptually the relations between the individual actors in the political process in the EU.
  • Infer institutional behavior in the context of the EU polity given other institutions’ priorities.

Competency profile

In addition the qualifications attained in the course will prepare students not only for work with but also within the EU. Since the focus is on the procedural flow of the legislative process following participation students will be able to scrutinize, analyze and forecast the development of EU legislation, organizational apparatus and general institutional evolution. Successful conclusion of the course will involve active participation under the form of an oral presentation of one of the texts in the syllabus, preparation of a 1050 words synapsis outlining three basic arguments the student has to make on the any of the topics covered, and an oral examination.



Litteraturliste til de første undervisingsgange, resten vil fremgå af Absalon:

Session 1 Introduction

Session 2 Intergovernmentalism

Cini, M., & Borragán, N.P.S. (2013). European Union Politics: OUP Oxford.

Finke, Daniel. (2009). Challenges to intergovernmentalism: an empirical analysis of EU treaty negotiations since Maastricht. West European Politics, 32(3), 466-495.

Moravcsik, Andrew. (1993). Preferences and power in the European Community: a liberal intergovernmentalist approach. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 31(4), 473-524.

Moravcsik, Andrew. (1995). Liberal intergovernmentalism and integration: a rejoinder. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 33(4), 611-628.

Session 3 Neo-Functionalis

Cini, M., & Borragán, N.P.S. (2013). European Union Politics: OUP Oxford.

Hooghe, Liesbet, & Marks, Gary. (2009). A postfunctionalist theory of European integration: From permissive consensus to constraining dissensus. British Journal of Political Science, 39(1), 1-23.

Moravcsik, Andrew. (2005). The European Constitutional Compromise and the neofunctionalist legacy. Journal of European Public Policy, 12(2), 349-386.

Schmitter, Philippe C. (2004). Neo-neofunctionalism. European integration theory, 45-74.

Additional Literature

McGowan, Lee. (2007). Theorising European Integration: revisiting neo-functionalism and testing its suitability for explaining the development of EC competition policy? European Integration Online Papers, 11(3).

Session 4 European Decision Making

Blavoukos, Spyros, & Pagoulatos, George. (2011). Accounting for coalition‐building in the European Union: Budget negotiations and the south. European Journal of Political Research, 50(4), 559-581.

Kaeding, Michael, & Selck, Torsten J. (2005). Mapping out political Europe: Coalition patterns in EU decision-making. International Political Science Review, 26(3), 271-290.

Marks, Gary, Hooghe, Liesbet, & Blank, Kermit. (1996). European Integration from the 1980s: State‐Centric v. Multi‐level Governance*. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 34(3), 341-378.

Moravcsik, Andrew. (1991). Negotiating the Single European Act: national interests and conventional statecraft in the European Community. International organization, 45(1), 19-56.

Session 5 The European Parliament

Hix, Simon, Kreppel, Amie, & Noury, Abdul. (2003). The party system in the European Parliament: Collusive or competitive? JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 41(2), 309-331.

Hix, Simon, Noury, Abdul, & Roland, Gérard. (2009). Voting patterns and alliance formation in the European Parliament. Philosophical transactions of the royal society b: biological sciences, 364(1518), 821-831.

Häge, Frank M. (2011). Politicising Council decision-making: the effect of European Parliament empowerment. West European Politics, 34(1), 18-47.

Lindberg, Björn, Rasmussen, Anne, & Warntjen, Andreas. (2008). Party politics as usual? The role of political parties in EU legislative decision-making. Journal of European Public Policy, 15(8), 1107-1126.

Session 6 The Council of Ministers

Bailer, Stefanie. (2011). Structural, domestic, and strategic interests in the European Union: negotiation positions in the Council of Ministers. Negotiation Journal, 27(4), 447-475.

Heisenberg, Dorothee. (2005). The institution of ‘consensus’ in the European Union: Formal versus informal decision‐making in the Council. European Journal of Political Research, 44(1), 65-90.

Häge, Frank M. (2007). The Division of Labour in Legislative Decision-Making of the Council of the European Union. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 13(4), 497-516.

Tallberg, Jonas. (2003). The agenda-shaping powers of the EU Council Presidency. Journal of European public policy, 10(1), 1-19.

Session 7 The European Commission

Döring, Holger. (2007). The Composition of the College of Commissioners Patterns of Delegation. European Union Politics, 8(2), 207-228.

Peterson, John. (2008). Enlargement, reform and the European Commission. Weathering a perfect storm? Journal of European Public Policy, 15(5), 761-780. doi: 10.1080/​13501760802133328

Schmidt, Susanne K. (2000). Only an agenda setter? The European Commission's power over the Council of Ministers. European Union Politics, 1(1), 37-61.

Wonka, Arndt. (2007). Technocratic and independent? The appointment of European Commissioners and its policy implications. Journal of European Public Policy, 14(2), 169-189.

There are no prerequisites necessary for course participation. All students from the Bachelor and Master level who would like to expand their understanding of the wider European constitutional context are welcome.
The course will be mainly based on lectures, 10 minutes student presentations, class discussions, small group exercises and guest lectures.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Exam
  • 79
  • Preparation
  • 168
  • Total
  • 275
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination
An oral exam based on a synopsis written by the student
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment

Criteria for achieving the goals:

  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course’s goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner.’