Going Europe or Going Dutch?

The European Union has a huge impact on the government and policies of its member states. It is thus surprising that the ways in which national governments attempt to shape EU policies is a topic seriously understudied. This book discusses relevant academic insights and presents a framework for analysing national interest representation. The empirical part discusses the EU policy of the Dutch government throughout the 1990s and presents a reconstuction of the negotiations on two internal market directives. It thereby offers both for academics and practitioners a clear oversight of the making of European poliices and the relevant moments and instruments for national interest representation.

Mendeltje van Keulen, M.A., is a fellow for European Studies at the Netherlands Institute for International Relations 'Clingendael'.

Acknowledgements, Figures and tables, Chapter 1. Opening the black box, Chapter 2. Governments in European integration theory, Chapter 3. Governments in the theoretical new Europe, Chapter 4. Designing a framework for analysis, Chapter 5. How the Netherlands shapes EU-policy, Chapter 6. Research design for the case-studies, Chapter 7. Shaping the Gas Directive, Chapter 8. Shaping the Biopatent Directive, Chapter 9. Discussion and Conclusions, References, Appendix: The EU Policy Process in Brussels and The Hague, Nederlandse samenvatting, About the author