When the EU is the ‘Norm-taker’: The Passenger Name Records Agreement and the EU’s Internalization of US Border Security Norms

Abstract: European Union efforts to diffuse its internal security policies to neighbouring countries have attracted increased interest by EU scholars. Yet, significantly less attention has been placed on the fact that the Union also undergoes socialization practices of security norms promoted by other international actors. The article aims to address this gap by focusing on the transatlantic relationship in border security and, more specifically, the Passenger Name Records (PNR) agreement. By applying a new institutionalist approach to the analysis of this case study, the article argues that the EU's internalization of US-produced border security norms is developed following three interrelated stages: unilateral and forceful norm advocacy by the USA, a process of negotiation and bargaining and, eventually, norm mirroring and imitation from EU authorities.