Bargaining Power in the European Council (2007:1)
This report aims at providing systematic knowledge about a central, yet underresearched, political body within the European Union, namely the European Council. The closed nature of the meetings and summits of the heads of state and governments makes empirical research on the functioning of the European Council very difficult.
Drawing on a large and unique set of interviews with present and former heads of governments and foreign minsters as well as toplevel officials, this report fills a gap in the existing literature.
The report addresses the central issue of bargaining power within the European Council. It is argued that structural power is central but that it can be mediated by the threat of veto as well as by personal attributes of political leaders. The author also analyses how leaders seek coalitions in order to gain bargaining power and how bargaining patterns have changed after the enlargement.
The report was presented at the seminar Bargaining Power in the European Council and is a part of the research project Representation, delegation and democracy.
2007:1 Bargaining Power in the European Council (232.34 kB)