Organisational analysis of a Europeanisation process. A Dutch experience

Book abstract:

What kinds of capacities have ministries been building up in order to manage their EU affairs? How effective has training been in Europeanisation processes? Are more structural/organisational changes needed within Ministries? This book reports on a process of building capacities for managing EU affairs within one Ministry, the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs. The Europeanisation process in this ministry has been followed during the nineties. Although the focus of the study is one specific ministry, it offers generalisable insights into the kinds of capacities needed for managing European affairs.

The main conclusion from the book is that training has been a major instrument in this ministry - as it has been in many other industries within the EU. However, the underlying assumptions that officials should no longer make a distinction between what is national policy and what is EU policy appears to be dangerous. On the other one hand, officials have national objectives, national incentives and national networks which rightly force them into more national ways of thinking. On the other hand, the strength of the foothold the EU acquires within a ministry depends on broader organisational changes and more structural adaptations. One particular conclusion is that there has been an emphasis on decentralisation whereas in addition there needs to be a simultaneous strengthening of EU capacities at the central level of the ministry. This would also contribute to the EU becoming a stronger political topic in the ministry.

This book presents the model on which these findings are based. The model may also serve as a tool for diagnosing EU capacities in other ministries.