Business as Usual? Negotiation Dynamics and Legislative Performance in the Council of the European Union after the Eastern Enlargement

Abstract

The dissertation analyzes the impact of the Eastern Enlargement on the work of the EU Council of Ministers. Why does the Council fulfill its legislative tasks so efficiently, despite the exogenous shock of membership change? What kind of shifts in the internal dynamics did the Eastern Enlargement induce? It is argued that the legislative robustness of the enlarged Council results from member states' highly unequal ambitions and abilities to formulate and advocate their own policy interests in the Council arena. This diversity is strategically exploited by the Council Presidency, which employs its procedural prerogatives to boost legislative effectiveness, in line with its institutional interest. The Eastern Enlargement increased the internal fragmentation of the Council and intensified the demand for leadership and process-management, eventually leading to "oligarchization" of this institution. The thesis offers a mechanism-based explanation, as it explores the sequences of position-taking, coalition formation, conflict dynamics and majority crafting within the Council. While presenting two case-studies from the realm of the regulatory policy, the thesis complements existing large-n studies of post-Enlargement Council politics.