Negotiating Flexibility in the European Union: Amsterdam, Nice and Beyond

233 Pages·2002·1.03 MB·English

by  Alexander Stubb (auth.)

Negotiating Flexibility in the European Union
Also by Alexander Stubb
THE EUROPEAN UNION: Reading on the Theory and Practice of European
Integration
(co-editor with Brent Nelsen)
RETHINKING THE EU: IGC 2000 and Beyond
(co-editor with Edward Best and Mark Gray)
Negotiating Flexibility
in the European Union
Amsterdam, Nice and Beyond
Alexander Stubb
Adviser to the President of the European Commission
and
Professor, College of Europe, Bruges
© Alexander Stubb 2002
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First published 2002 by
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Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE is the new global academic imprint of
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ISBN 978-1-349-42679-9 ISBN 978-1-4039-0761-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781403907615
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A catalogue record for this book is available
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stubb,Alexander C-G.
Negotiating flexibility in the European Union:Amsterdam,Nice,and
beyond / Alexander Stubb.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.European Union.I.Title.
JN30 .S79 2002
341.242(cid:2)2–dc21 2001058502
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
To
Suzanne and Emilie

Contents
List of Tables ix
Preface x
List of Abbreviations xiii
1 Introduction 1
Objectives 3
Methodology 4
Structure 5
Argument 7
Sources 9
2 The Nature of IGC Negotiations 11
The negotiating environment 13
The negotiating process 19
Negotiating styles 23
Conclusion 28
3 Definitions, Categories and Examples 30
The evolution of the theoretical and 34
political debate on flexibility
Towards conceptual clarity 42
From multi-speed to transitional clauses 45
From variable geometry to enabling clauses 48
From à la carte to case-by-case and 52
pre-defined flexibility
Conclusion 56
4 Negotiating the Amsterdam Treaty 58
The agenda-setting stage: from Corfu to Turin 61
The decision-shaping stage: from Turin to Dublin 73
The decision-taking stage: from Dublin to Amsterdam 84
Conclusion 102
vii
viii Contents
5 Negotiating the Nice Treaty 106
The agenda-setting stage: from Cologne to Feira 108
The decision-shaping stage: from Feira to Biarritz 115
The decision-taking stage: from Biarritz to Nice 118
Conclusion: goodbye core, hello flexibility? 119
6 Assessing the Flexibility Clauses 123
Enabling clauses 123
Case-by-case flexibility 133
Pre-defined flexibility 134
Conclusion 142
7 Conclusion 144
Flexibility in the 1996–97 and 2000 IGCs: the process 145
Assessing the new system: the substance 153
Three IGC lessons: environment, process and style 161
Implications for European integration 163
Appendix 1: Literature on Flexibility since 1974 169
Appendix 2: List of Interviews 173
Appendix 3: Expert Group Hearings (1998) 176
Notes 179
Bibliography 182
Index 206
List of Tables
2.1 Responsibilities of the actors in the 1996–97 and 2000 IGCs 15
3.1 Definitions, categories and examples of flexible integration 32
4.1 Categorisation of Member States 72
ix