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Domestic opportunity structures and political actors' positions are widely regarded as the most important explanatory factors for EU politicisation. The euro crisis, however, has revealed cleavages across rather than within countries, suggesting structural factors as a potential explanation for politicisation. Based on the political economy literature on Europe's Economic and Monetary Union, this contribution develops a structural approach to politicisation with respect to countries' power and variety of capitalism. Using a content and claims analysis of business papers in Germany, France, Austria and Ireland before and during the crisis, the findings reveal a differentiated pattern of politicisation. While an expansion of actors indicates that EMU became more politicised during the crisis, polarisation remained low within countries. Countries' variety of capitalism and their perceived power in the EU largely explain the substance and objects of politicisation. The findings encourage further research considering structural explanations for differentiated politicisation in less elite-centred settings of politicisation.

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Consensus and Isolation in the EU Council of Ministers

Smeets

2015

Journal of European Integration

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When and how are member states in a small minority or isolated position able to prevail in the EU Council of Ministers? The Council is known for its ability to avoid vetoes and votes. However, we lack a causal mechanism that explains how such a consensus is commonly reached. We argue that while domestic and normative constraints are necessary elements of an explanation of negotiating success, they are insufficient to solve the puzzle of isolation. We claim that success in isolation depends on the ability to avoid exposure at Council level, which in turn is related to the lower levels' effectiveness in preventing matters from reaching the ministers. We test this conjecture by means of a process tracing analysis of three cases of isolation. By analysing how the Council has dealt with situations of twenty-six against one, we come closer to understanding the internal dynamics behind the consensus-reflex.

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Cited by 10 publications

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Managing the EU Crises: Another Way of Integration by Stealth?

Managing the EU Crises: Another Way of Integration by Stealth?

A structural approach to politicisation in the Euro crisis

Consensus and Isolation in the EU Council of Ministers

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