Widening the European Union
Politics of Institutional Change and Reform
Edited by Bernard Steunenberg
Routledge – 2004 – 272 pages
The proposed enlargement of the European Union to include countries from Central and Eastern Europe has become an important political issue. Widening the European Union focuses on those institutional reforms of the Union that may be necessary to make the enlargement possible. The institutional structure, originally designed for the Union of just six states, might not be suitable for a EU of twenty-seven or more member states.
An overview of current rational choice theories of institutional change is provided before the volume focuses on several aspects of institutional reforms in the Union.
Widening the European Union contains contributions from a distinguished team of European academics. This book is a valuable resource to students of the European Union with an interest in its politics and policy, enlargement and institutional reform.
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Constitutional Aspects of Enlargement
Part 3: Reforming European Union Decision-Making
Part 4: Dynamics of Widening
Part 5: Conclusion
Bernard Steunenberg is Professor of Public Administration at Leiden University, the Netherlands. His research interests include the extent to which political institutions play a role in the initiation, adoption and implementation of public policy, particularly in the context of the European Union and the Netherlands.