Small States in EU Policy-Making

The European Union both offers benefits and poses challenges to small member states. On the one hand, from the perspective of shelter theory, the European Union contributes to the security of small states and provides benefits of ‘scale’, such as access to larger markets or political stability. On the other hand, the question is to what extent small states can influence decision-making in a Union that contains many states and, in particular, much more populous states. Thus, state-centric theories (such as liberal intergovernmentalism) would view small states as less influential as a result of their lower political (i.e. voting weight) or economic clout. The aim of this book is to analyse the strategies of small states in European Union politics now that the many ‘new’ member states that joined since 2004 have had ample time to settle in. The focus lies on two broad questions, in particular, that are a basis for several working research questions: What strategies do small states pursue in the various EU institutions to ensure their effective participation in EU decision-making? For instance, how do small states ensure effective representation in the work of the European Parliament with sometimes as little as half a dozen MEPs (as in the cases of Luxembourg and Malta)? How do they make themselves heard in the Council of Ministers or the European Council? What are their specific challenges or strategies for holding the Council Presidency? The second broad question of the volume asks how have small states experienced EU decision-making in concrete cases (e.g. Brexit, the sovereign debt crisis, various trade and security policies)? To what extent do small states have specific interests and concerns and to what extent (and by what means) are they able to shape the EU policies?