Europeanisation
Europeanization describes the transformation of social, political basic conditions and processes and is used increasingly in both the social and political sciences as well as in the science of history to describe the social changes in Europe through European integration.
- 3.1 Europeanization of national level
- 3.2 National and influence at EU level
General use of language and concept change
The concept of Europeanization is used differently in the literature and generally applied in three areas. In the historical context he means the export of European values , cultural heritage and political systems in the context of and as a result of European colonialism. In the cultural context, it refers to the loss of importance of national identities through the creation and alignment with a European identity.
In political science, the terms Europeanization and European integration originally used interchangeably, since Europeanization was understood as "Europe Werdung ", ie as the development of political, legal and social institutions at the European level.
From the early 1990s there was a differentiation of the Europeanization approach from the approach of European integration. In contrast to European integration Europeanization now describes the minimum consensus national responses to European processes. However, triggered by pulses of EU - level policy changes in the EU Member States do not have to deepen European integration there.
Some political science authors distinguish between a member and accession Europeanisation. Thus, the Europeanization affects not only on EU member states, but also to potential candidates, such as Turkey or EU neighboring countries such as Russia.
In political science, there are a variety of definitions of the concept of Europeanization. A first and much-quoted definition written in 1994 Robert Ladrech, Professor of Political Science at the School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Keele University, UK. He describes Europeanization as a gradual process of re-orientation of policy by political currents in the European Community are part of national politics and policy-making.
A development of this definition of Robert Ladrech took before Claudio Radaelli and formulated the most comprehensive concept of Europeanization. He formulated Europeanization as a process of change in national logic of political action. Unlike the Ladrech of his concept encompasses the beginnings of European policy, but also their effect on the nation states.
Thus, Europeanization is an interactive process, which describes not only the impact of European policies on the national level, but also the opposite direction of action includes, as the nation-state - at least indirectly - are responsible for the European processes and the hazards of the EU - level pulses or influence them.
In addition to various definitions exist various Europeanization concepts, such as the misfit model, the transformation model, or the consideration of Europeanization as a macro process.
Theories in political science
Although at least since the beginning of the new millennium in a variety of policy areas, more and more empirical studies have been carried out to Europeanisation, there is still a deficit in theory. There is no ready -elaborated theory, so that all declarations listed here can be understood only as theoretical approaches.
Misfit Model
The Misfit model is a basic model that attempts to explain the Europeanization.
The Misfit model is the question of the adaptability of the national structures underlying the face of Europeanization pressure. The misfit between the two levels is the key parameter for the character and the extent of domestic change. The extent of the pressure for change comes not only from the EU level, but also depends significantly on the national circumstances from. Thus, the smaller is the pass ability, the greater the pressure to conform to the national structures. The internal political change is limited to the Misfit model but only on the national structures and involves a change in the political processes not with a. Because a Misfit only arises when there is pressure to adjust from the outside, so there are strict rules on the part of the EU level, this model Europeanization can only be explained if the integration process is positive. Other Europeanization mechanisms, such as setting horizontal pulses, however, can not be explained.
As an explanatory model of Europeanization, the Misfit model has enforced only by systematic expansion under the name of " top-down " model. In the " top-down " model it comes in addition to the question under what conditions it ever comes to Europeanization, ie the adaptation of national processes or institutions on the basis of EU - pulses. The fitting ability is understood as a functional deficit of the nation-state level. Only if prove to the nation-state structures and processes as incompatible with the pulses of the EU level, it is an adjustment. A prerequisite is that sufficient national conditions also allow changes in the context of Europeanization.
Tried a nation-state actor to bring about changes at the EU level, it is European integration and not about Europeanization.
The following diagram illustrates the Europeanization as EU -induced adaptation process:
Institutions and actors react to opportunity structures:
- Number of veto positions
- Pass Eligible formal institutions
→ Redistribution of institutional resources
Norms and ideas to solve change from:
- Norm entrepreneurs
- Pass -enabled informal institutions
→ Social Learning, Norminternalisierung, identity development
Intrastate change with respect to:
- Polity
- Politics
- Policies
The Misfit model, however, does not clarify how the EU's influence can be determined on the national change and ignores the influence of global processes. The Misfit model thus is not sufficient as the sole model for explanation of Europeanization.
Transformation model
Changes happen from the nation-state structures and changes in the national political system by domestic political processes in the transformation model. Begin Political processes of nation-state actors and end at the national level.
European policy is considered as an external effect on the domestic political process. The Europeanisation is here seen as a variable among several that is the cause of a national change. However, the primary cause are actors, problems, resources, political styles and discourses of national level for change.
The basic idea of the transformation model thus describes the design of the national political process by external European influences, but also by global factors.
The main difference to the Misfit model is that the transformation model examines the transformation of nation-state structures and political processes within between two points in time (t0 and t1).
The transformation model extending the Europeanization of spatial contexts, consisting of three levels, which impact on the changes of the political process, which transforms the nation-state political system. This is - in contrast to the Misfit model - not just the EU - European dimension is an important factor influencing the political process. Firstly, a regional dimension is taken into account, since increasingly sub-national actors and regional networks influence political decisions. On the other playing, as mentioned above, the overall dimension of an important part. The integration of science, for example, sees Europeanization as a special case of globalization.
By incorporating these spatial contexts, it is possible to delineate the specific influence of the EU level to the national level of government in relation to other factors and to consider largely isolated.
In addition to the spatial contexts, the transformation model can be extended to the context of systemic factors. Norms and ideas, institutions and actors are viewed as mechanisms of Europeanization. The adjacent diagram illustrates the operation and hang - together of Europeanization in the transformation model.
The transformation model can in decisions that run through the state within the policy cycle, to be used as an explanation of Europeanization, but not in the decisions that are taken by the Commission formally independent.
Due to the high complexity of the transformation model also a concrete illustration of empirical situations is difficult. Similar to the misfit in the model transformation model, the direction of action of European impulses to the nation-state level is linear, the opposite direction of effect is also referred to in the transformation model as European integration, not as Europeanization.
Part of a process macro
When considering the Europeanisation as a macro process Europeanization in three overlapping levels can be divided: in the level of the European Union, the Member States and the Global level. Similar to the effects of Europeanization, when viewed at the macro level in addition to the European Union, a further possible stimulus for changes in the national policies of EU member states can be discovered. The Global level can achieve effects similar to those of Europeanization. While the overlap between EU and Member States can be described as Europeanization, distinction must be made between processes global level and Member States, or global level and the EU. As examples of the influence of the global level to the EU and later by Europeanization on its Member States, of the climate, a joint target to fiscal policy after the financial crisis of 2008 or the confrontation with ACTA can be considered at European level.
Vectors of the Europeanization
Europeanization of national level
The influence of European policies in the member states is referred to as top-down Europeanization. The process of Europeanization involves changes that are caused in the course of European integration through Europeanization impulses and then implemented in the Member States. Europeanization impulses may be, for example, directives and regulations, or newly created incentive structures, incentives for funding. An example of this is the implementation of the European Court of Justice in the respective Member States. More recently, the EU impact on non - member countries such as Switzerland, Norway and the Central and Eastern European member countries, or EU candidate countries such as Croatia were discussed increased.
National impact at European level
The influence of the Member States to the European Union is referred to as bottom-up Europeanization.
Examples
The Europeanization can be observed in many different areas. Thus, for example, speaks of a Europeanization of interest groups if they broaden their horizons of action to the European level. Changes can be found in the structure of the federation system, with the opportunities for participation of interest groups in the political process as well as in the strategy and the organizational structure of the stakeholders themselves. Under the Europeanization of civil society is understood as the emergence of a European civil society.
Especially in terms of a European public sphere, the concept of Europeanization is a central aspect. The representatives of the school neofunktionalistischen theory rely on a top-down Europeanization. Through a so-called transfer effect, the interest in Europe of the already present transnational professional publics to other public levels of transfers. This Europeanization " from above " is a bottom-up Europeanization, which describes Karl W. German in his theory transaktionistischen contrary. A European public after German leads to integration through communication, which leads to " the emergence of a sense of community (sense of community) " and "the reason together with institutions and decision-making processes for a long time stable expectations in the population to peaceful change."
System levels of Europeanization
The impact on the national policies of EU member states found in the areas of polity, politics and policies instead.
Polity
At the structural level, the most impact on the state institutions and administrative processes are considered.
Politics
In the process area can be found primarily on the effects of interest mediation field. The formation of interest groups at the European level can lead to effects on national interest intermediation.
Policy
With regard to the policy content, especially the implementation of European standards is considered.