Beyond the Spanish state: central government, domestic actors and the EU

Book abstract:

This book examines the role of the Spanish central state or government and its relations with other key domestic actors in the European Union (EU) policy-making process. The starting point for the book is the beginning of a new democratic era for the Spanish state after the death of Franco in 1975. It centres on Spain's attitude to Europe, the long protracted EC accession negotiations from 1979 to 1986, and Spain's EC/EU membership between 1986 and 1996.

The chapters are: Approach to the analysis; Relations between the Spanish central state and other domestic actors during the EC accession negotiations; Changing relations between the Spanish central state and other domestic actors during EC/EU membership; The role of the Spanish central state in the negotiation of cohesion policy; The input of other domestic actors to cohesion policy; The role of the Spanish central state in the negotiation of the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement; The input of other domestic actors to the fisheries agreement; Conclusions: beyond the Spanish state?

This is an accessible and authoritative study of EU policy-making in Spain. From the fishermen in Andalusia fighting to protect their quotas, to regional governments demanding a greater say in EU structural funds, it offers an in-depth exploration of the dynamic relations between central government and other actors. The book reveals a wealth of interactive processes between central government, domestic actors and the EU but concludes that the central state has retained a key position in the policy process. The book offers original empirical material and new insights into issues which have rarely been considered in the Spanish case, while also providing an analysis of the changing policy process in a broader EU framework.