Internal management of external relations. The Europeanisation of an Economic Affairs Ministry

Internal management of external relations: the Europeanization of an Economic Affairs Ministry

This book presents an organisational study on the impact the momentum of European integration has had on one ministry, the Netherlands Ministry for Economic Affairs. It describes the issues at the start of the 1990s which triggered the organisational adaptation process and it analyses the way in which internal co-ordination mechanisms have been upgraded. For this purpose, a conceptual tool is developed to assess a ministry's capacities for co-ordinating European affairs.

The Europeanization activities that are being discussed in this book should be seen in the light of the major developments in integration of the last decade. As a result of these developments, the message has come home to national administrations that 'Europe' is not just a distant concept and a topic mainly for diplomats, but something that affects the daily business of officials. In addition, the widening and deepening of European integration has raised important questions for practitioners on whether and how national ministries should be adapted. There are issues such as whether major organisational changes are demanded within ministries; whether every official should now take responsibility for the European dimensions of their own work; and whether the momentum of European integration has really implied major changes in the environments in which ministries operate.

This book puts forward a model for analysing the administrative implications of the EU. The application of the model to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs shows that, despite major investments, adapting to European integration has been more demanding than anticipated.