EU Conditionality

The fifth enlargement of the EU to include Central
and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) has led to the
creation of new policy instruments, which will become
a common feature in future enlargement rounds of the
Community. Drawing on policy transfer literature and
new forms of governance, this book explores the role
of the EU and its administrative conditionality in
shaping the public administration reforms in Central
and Eastern Europe (CEE). It analyses the
introduction of the twinning exercise as well as
the procedural changes which had to be introduced in
order to facilitate the secondment of member states
civil servants to administrations in CEE. While
emphasizing a new tendency in EU policymaking, the
use of the semi-voluntary forms of coordination among
its member states and the applicants, it is argued
that the substantive policies of the enlargement
process allow for the transfer of institutional
models. The book regards the introduction of the
twinning exercise as mainly driven by lesson-drawing.
It argues that, in the long run, the policy outcome
of twinning projects is convergence in form of
hybridisation rather than compliance on the basis of full transfer .

Autorentext

Michael J. Steffens, PhD: Studied International Political Economyand Political Science at the University of Sheffield and theFreie Universität Berlin. Corporate Training Expert and FreelanceConsultant, Shanghai.

Klappentext

The fifth enlargement of the EU to include Centraland Eastern European Countries (CEECs) has led to thecreation of new policy instruments, which will becomea common feature in future enlargement rounds of theCommunity. Drawing on policy transfer literature andnew forms of governance, this book explores the roleof the EU and its administrative conditionality inshaping the public administration reforms in Centraland Eastern Europe (CEE). It analyses theintroduction of the "twinning exercise" as well asthe procedural changes which had to be introduced inorder to facilitate the secondment of member states'civil servants to administrations in CEE. Whileemphasizing a new tendency in EU policymaking, theuse of the semi-voluntary forms of coordination amongits member states and the applicants, it is arguedthat the substantive policies of the enlargementprocess allow for the transfer of institutionalmodels. The book regards the introduction of thetwinning exercise as mainly driven by lesson-drawing.It argues that, in the long run, the policy outcomeof twinning projects is convergence in form ofhybridisation rather than compliance on the basis of'full transfer'.