EUROPEANIZATION

Introduction Europeanization has been described by many scholars and analysts in various ways; some describe it as the effect European Union policies impact on the member states, whereas others consider the EU as one element of Europeanization. However, the attention here is on the former. It is important to address the impact of the EU policies upon the member states, highlighting the effect on the domestic policies and decision making. In this essay, Europeanization shall be used to refer to the European Union. However the term shall not be used as a synonym of the EU integration. There are various issues pertaining to Europeanization with regards to the effect the EU has on its member states. This paper will try to address issues such as whether Europeanization is providing policies that eventually create similarities amongst the member states; if internal political frameworks ascertain Europeanization in diverse ways; Has Europe altered domestic politics (in areas such as party systems) and public policy? Europeanization has immensely affected the domestic public policies of member states. Nevertheless, the effect has not always been the same. The EU member states have misplaced their domestic priorities for self regulating activities in some areas, for example in monetary policy or trade. While in other areas like health care or employment policy, the effect has always been patchy. In assessing this subject, various parameters regarding the perception of Europeanization, the dynamics, governance and domestic political structures shall be discussed in order to understand what Europeanization implies to Europeans. The concept of Europeanization The concept of Europeanization is generally applied to examine the adjustments that take place in the EU member states in connection with common relations, composition and capability of legislative, executive and judicial institutions existing in both vertical and horizontal arrangements. Furthermore, it is applied with an orientation to arrangements, relations and resources of predominant systemic actors as well as in examining the formulation and implementation of specific public policies. The model is also considered as the stage in which consciousness occurs within the influence of actions that are found at the community level. There are three elements of Europeanization. First: It can be developed from various levels and structures of the policy process such as in policy formulations: implementing policy: diffusing the policy in an area where EU role may be restricted. Second; Europeanization does not only include a set of policy issues but it also encompasses some aspects like belief and value. Third; the concept shows the influence of European policies on member states. This concept involves two levels; implementation that takes place at the EU level and then the integration at the domestic level. Integration process is responsible for the facilitation of Europeanization especially in the political arena in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). Following the disintegration of communism, numerous International organizations got engaged in the political and economic changes in the CCEs. The longing by many CEECs to integrate in the EU, mingled with the high volume and meddling of the rules connected with membership, grants EU an exceptional influence in reframing domestic institutions and the whole range of public policies within the CEECs. Dynamics of Europeanization The argument about whether Europe is being Europeanized has inspired a lot of scholarly debate recently. There are however four elements that could be used to justify why Europe is being Europeanized. First; the single market economy promoted by European Union institution is a worth considering. Even though the EU hasn’t finished with domestic market, the EU directives set of laws and policies impacting the domestic markets of member countries increased considerably from the single European Act of 1986. Second; the introduction of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has created a single currency (Euro zone) and interest rate system across the member states. The single currency has created a high level of interdependency along with some additional policies. With EMU, one member states’ problem is likely to spill over to another member state subsequently affecting the rest of participating members. A good example is the recent bailout plan in Greece where members of the Euro zone had to jointly work on Greece’s domestic financial predicament. Under EMU, stability should be embraced by all the members; therefore it has aimed at giving directives on main issues pertaining to labour market reforms and changes in national pension system. It has also been argued recently that EMU has been a game changer in politics by giving more powers to other actors while others are deprived. Europeanization is not just a mere product of an expanding range of policies at the EU level. It also happens as a result of procedures that are more market oriented. A third dynamic; a process that matched the establishment of a single market was an evolving blueprint of regulatory competition. Fourth: The method of enlargement. Even though this method had not been completed, the dialogue with the contending countries signified a massive exercise in policy shift. The EU was trying to sell acquis in its entirety. The EU was also creating an attempt to shift the rules and norms of democratic activities to member states, positively proceeding outside the sphere of the single market. The scope of Europeanization Policies There exist numerous policy issues that are influenced by policy-making in Brussels. Every year, the EU releases about 500 policy resolutions. The existing body of community legislation constitutes more that 5,000 directives and policies. Some policy sectors like the environment and agriculture have been Europeanized to a point where over 80% of current policies are prepared at the EU level. The execution of EU policies results in significant modifications in the policy frameworks of the member states. This kind of Europe-stimulated policy changes is likely to influence the policy principles. In Economic policies alone, EU places over 80% set of laws, and the EU membership prerequisites include a confirmation that they are capable of executing a whole range of EU acquis, frequently quoted as having more than 80,000 pages of legislation. Considering various activities the EU impose on CEECs membership hopefuls, many analysts argue that the sway of EU is very invasive. However, it is not apparent as to the extent the EU exerts its influence on the membership candidates, although the process has been described as mainly a policy of conditional. Polity A large portion of work on the impact of Europeanization centers on internal institutions both formal and informal. They examine how European processes, regulations and institutions impact on internal systems of interest, intermediation, intergovernmental relations, national bureaucracies and administrative structures, regulatory structures, the relationship between executive and legislature and macro-economic frameworks. These elements center either on particular policies or they are apprehensive with overall institutions concerning the member states, their communities and economies in general. Be it politics, policies or polity, the general notion that Europeanization impacts member states is not contested. Although, there are different views lately that the internal influence of Europeanization varies in different member states. Governance by negotiation The European Union is invariably in a state of negotiation in numerous policy issues: weather its foreign policy, fisheries or immigration. However, the EUs power varies noticeably across the range of policy issues: From having exclusive influence for example in domestic market to having limited command of setting benchmarks in issues such as employment policy. Nevertheless, in any situation whereby the EU makes a decision either legally binding or just a declaration, it has to be done through the process of negotiation. Governance by negotiation resonates with Europeanization due to the fact that European policy does not evolve from nowhere but instead from a process of negotiation. The member states are primary to this method: either by directly getting involved in the negotiating table or by creating the under which power has been entrusted to such supranational bodies. One aspect of Europeanization at the policy level is that national policy laws are included in EU-bargaining stage, with the end result probably becoming a synthesis, although one member state may be particularly dominant. Governance by hierarchy Governance by hierarchy involves a situation whereby the supranational institutions posses a substantial amount of influence accorded to them. The institutions that are associated with this hierarchy are the Commission, the Council and the European court of justice. It is imperative to mention that EU governance by negotiation does not always abide by the patterns prevailing in single member states. France and the UK for a long time have had political confrontations. They feel that Europeanization needs some type of cultural transfer in the direction of negotiated governance. Upon the completion of negotiations stage, the council categorically accepts the European legislation which requires further implementation within the member states. A number of ‘rules and regulations’ mechanism takes a centre stage. These mechanisms obtained from distinctive supranational character of the EU, assist in guaranteeing that the agreements are executed by the member states. The character of mechanism and the subsequent account of the dynamics of Europeanization differ depending on what are perceived as positive and negative integration. Positive integration needs the initiation of a vibrant supranational policy. Normally, the EU agrees on a policy outline, and its duty is to designate it to the member states. In economic policy issues positive integration usually involves market-correcting regulations. In essence, it implies that the policy is intended to minimize the negative results of market processes Unlike positive integration, negative integration entails areas where the national barriers are gotten rid of in order to pave way for a common policy. National legislation is usually not needed to execute the policy. The commission is assigned a far-reaching authority and the jurisdiction of the ECJ can be depended upon to impose the structure of the rules and regulations, such as the ones specified in the supranational agreements. Therefore the EU laws are shaped to encourage the effective performance of the market. A good example is EUs competition policy, which indicates what is allowed in situations such as merger or joint venture between companies, costing and market sharing agreements between them among others. In negative integration it is the contest amid rules or amid socio-economic aspects that justifies Europeanization instead of the want for domestic policy to conform to EU policy outlines, in accordance with positive integration. Domestic political structures (Institutions) Domestic political structures incorporate institutions, public administration, inter-governmental relations and the legal frameworks. Regarding institutions, it is clear that Europeanization in away restricted the duty of parliaments and traditional regional representation. Furthermore, even though the EU encouraged the creation of virtual relations between cabinets and assemblies, this is not a homogeneous pattern; a distinctive demonstration of Europeanization that is dependent on the type of domestic structures that it encroaches on. There occurs Europeanization of national administration in regards to developing range and amount of contacts amongst the supranational and the national centers of administration. National officials have been gradually involved into the European policy formulation and implementation procedures. The method of integration has generated an increasing group of committees, taking national civil servants to Brussels. Considerable areas of national policies have been replaced by the EU laws. Therefore the responsiveness to the European structure pervades the national political administrative system of the member states. Conclusion The EU has been having a considerable influence on the policies of member states. It has as well influenced its neighbors through its neighborhood policy issues especially in countries within the European Economic Zone and outside Europe, specifically on the beneficiaries of the aid programs. This essay however, has covered only the European Union and member states. In the last years the EUs influence has been a debate in the academic field, taking the arguments towards its traditional concerns with the methods of integration and policy making. It is now the main subject of discussion in the 21st century. Empirical evaluation of Europeanization can be projected in different ways: by the member states or by integration or by particular policy issues. In this essay, I have resorted to focus on the concept, dynamics, and scopes of Europeanization. I have argued that, governance by negotiation-a bargain in the EU policy- possesses an Europeanization process. There are however no plain broad way to be made on the technicalities of member states adopting to Europeanization, considering the negotiating elements impacting the results, like in the situation of EMU and some environmental standards. There seems to be more impact of Europeanization at the policy level. Europeanization of policy has prompted the process of changing the state.