The course deals with the ways in which the European integration process has an impact on the institutional structure, preferences, policies and political processes in EU member states. After a general introduction to the Europeanization literature, it focuses on Europeanization in the context of Belgium. The course analyses the way Belgium deals with its EU membership and it examines how Belgium participates in different stages and fora of EU decision-making. Particular attention is paid to the role of sub-national entities and the interaction between multiple levels of governance. The course also puts the Belgian case in a comparative perspective by examining the extent to which the findings on the Europeanization of Belgium can be generalized towards other EU member states.
The course intends to give the students an analytical overview of the way in which the European integration process has an impact on the institutional structure, preferences, policies and political processes in the member states. Students will have an understanding of the processes of Europeanization and they will have acquired insights on the interaction between Belgium and the EU in a multi-level political system.
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Written or oral exam. The exam covers all the material discussed during the lectures and presented in the reader.
- Europeanization: theory, concepts and different approaches
- Belgian preferences and policies towards European integration
- Belgium and EU decision-making
- Multi-level interactions and Belgium as a small state in the EU
d towards the europeanisation of other EU member states.
Support: reader with obligatory readings (updated annually).
