| Review of: | The Eastern Enlargement of the European Union by J. O'Brennan |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Helene Sjursen |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 02/11/2007 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 03, Pages 745-769 |
Book Reviews
This book constitutes a valuable contribution to the literature on EU enlargement. From being rather understudied, in particular in theoretical terms, the question of enlargement has in recent years been the subject of several useful and innovative analyses. This is as it should be, not only because enlargement is a critical issue for the future of the EU and European order, but also because it provides us with an important intake into the understanding of the nature of the EU and the processes that govern it. It provides fertile ground for theoretical reflection on processes of integration and the emerging European order.
Organizing the book in three fairly separate parts, the author presents a comprehensive account of the process of enlargement to central and eastern Europe. In the first part he provides a historical overview of the enlargement process. In the second part the internal EU decision-making process is in focus, with a chapter on each of the EU's main institutions (the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament). In the third and last part the relevance of geopolitical, economic and normative explanations of Eastern enlargement are assessed.
The most important contribution to the existing literature comes in the second part of the book, with the analysis of intra-institutional decision-making. O'Brennan stresses in particular the role of the Commission and its dual role in steering the internal EU process and influencing developments in the candidate states. The Commission frequently found itself the sole policy innovator and the best-placed actor within the process. However, he also underlines the role of the European Parliament and, interestingly, the influence and effectiveness of the Presidencies of the smaller Member States.
There is a certain lack, nevertheless, of conceptual nuance and analytical stringency in the book. Symptomatically, concepts like 'deliberation' and 'bargaining', for example, are used more or less interchangeably, without any apparent concern for the fact that they point to two very different types of decision-making processes. It would also have been helpful to have had more explicit linkages between the different parts of the book and in particular between the second and third parts. In arguing in the third part that eastern enlargement is best understood as a norm-driven phenomenon, the author confirms the findings of other studies on enlargement. But how, if at all, does this relate to his findings on the roles of the different institutions? Through a reflection on questions such as this one, the author could have strengthened the originality of his contribution even further.
The book will be useful reading not only for those with a particular interest in enlargement, but also for those with an interest in EU institutions and decision-making.