Cambridge - Research Project
3. Patterns of cooperation in the enlarged EU
Supervisor: Dr Julie Smith (Email: jes42@cam.ac.uk), Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge (UCAM)
PhD: Pierre Bocquillon (Email: pmvb2@cam.ac.uk)
Short project description: The prospect of a ‘big bang’ enlargement of the EU in 2004/2007 led to protracted debate over the institutional arrangements within the Union, as Member States looked for ways to ensure their interests would be protected. In the context of a Europe of 27 (or more in due course), it has become increasingly important for Member States to find partners and allies with whom to cooperate, either in setting the European agenda, or in blocking initiatives they do not support. This project assesses the development of patterns of cooperation within the Council/European Council. It takes as its case studies policy-making including in the areas of energy and climate change, security and defence, and immigration policy. The guiding hypothesis is that a larger, more diverse Union makes bilateral and multilateral cooperation ever more important but that the very diversity of the Union ensures that cooperation is increasingly ad-hoc and tactical, reflecting the sort of promiscuous bilateralism favoured by the UK rather than the long-term, strategic ‘marriage’ enjoyed by France and Germany.
Links with other partners and projects: This project ties in with research undertaken by UCAM staff in three EU-Commission projects: the security and defence aspects link with work undertaken by Professor Hill and Dr Edwards in the frameworks of FORNET and CONSENT. The other aspects of this project link with work done by Dr Smith and others within the framework of MERCURY (co-ordinated by Edinburgh University).
Within INCOOP the work on energy and climate change fits well with the work to be undertaken by the University of Osnabruck and there will inevitably be a focus on party political cooperation, which will complement the work done at the University of Mannheim.