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Who Speaks for Europe? The Delegation of Trade Authority in the EU

Author

Listed:
  • Sophie Meunier
  • Kalypso Nicolaïdis

Abstract

Although the Member States of the European Union (EU) have long since relinquished their power to act as autonomous actors in international trade negotiations, they have now chosen to regain some of their lost trade sovereignty. Neither the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ’s) 1994 opinion, nor the 1997 reform of the trade policy process at Amsterdam delegated full negotiating authority to the Commission over the ‘new trade issues’ of services and intellectual property. Instead, Member States settled on a hybrid form of decision‐making to enable ad hoc rather than structural delegation of competence. Was this a rollback of EU competence? If so, why has it occurred in the EU’s oldest and most successfully integrated, policy sector? A shift in the perceived trade‐off between economic interests and ideological bias on the part of key Member States can explain such a change. This article also explores the consequences for the future conduct of the EU’s trade policy and its influence in shaping the world political economy, as well as for the evolving pattern of federal allocation of jurisdiction in the EU.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophie Meunier & Kalypso Nicolaïdis, 1999. "Who Speaks for Europe? The Delegation of Trade Authority in the EU," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(3), pages 477-501, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:37:y:1999:i:3:p:477-501
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-5965.00174
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Eugénia Da Conceição, 2010. "Who Controls Whom? Dynamics of Power Delegation and Agency Losses in EU Trade Politics," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(4), pages 1107-1126, September.
    2. Cornelia Woll, 2009. "Who Captures Whom? Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union," Post-Print hal-00972851, HAL.
    3. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:1107-1126 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Moo Sung Lee, 2004. "The European Union beyond 2004: Small States and Trade Policy," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 7(1), pages 19-35, March.
    5. Cornelia Woll, 2009. "Who Captures Whom? Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-00972851, HAL.
    6. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/8601 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Jarman, Holly, 2017. "Trade policy governance: What health policymakers and advocates need to know," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(11), pages 1105-1112.
    8. Eugénia da Conceição-Heldt, 2009. "Delegation of Power and Agency Losses in EU Trade Politics," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers 18, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
    9. Cornelia Woll, 2006. "Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union: Who Captures Whom?," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-00972822, HAL.
    10. Cornelia Woll, 2006. "Trade Policy Lobbying in the European Union: Who Captures Whom?," Working Papers hal-00972822, HAL.
    11. Jeffry A. Frieden, 2004. "One Europe, One Vote?," European Union Politics, , vol. 5(2), pages 261-276, June.
    12. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/8601 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Tonia Novitz, 2002. "Promoting Core Labour Standards and Improving Global Social Governance: An Assessment of EU Competence to Implement Commission Proposals," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers 59, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
    14. Niemann, Arne, 2011. "Conceptualising Commom Commercial Policy Treaty revision: explaining stagnancy and dynamics from the Amsterdam IGC to the Treaty of Lisbon," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 15, October.
    15. Arne Niemann, 2006. "Explaining visa, asylum and immigration policy Treaty revision: insights from a revised neofunctionalist framework," The Constitutionalism Web-Papers p0005, University of Hamburg, Faculty for Economics and Social Sciences, Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Science.
    16. Pasadilla, Gloria & Liao, Christine Marie, 2005. "Does the Philippines Need a Trade Representative Office?," Discussion Papers DP 2005-26, Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
    17. Tanja A. Boerzel & Madeleine O. Hosli, 2002. "Comparative Federalism meets the European Union," The Constitutionalism Web-Papers p0007, University of Hamburg, Faculty for Economics and Social Sciences, Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Science.
    18. Jordi Mas, 2021. "The Power of Cohesiveness: Internal Factors that Influence the External Performance of Regions," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 963-980, July.
    19. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/f5vtl5h9a73d5ls976m34ikh5 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Eckert, Heather, 2003. "Negotiating environmental agreements: Regional or federal authority?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 1-24, July.
    21. Robert Basedow, 2021. "The EU's International Investment Policy ten years on: the Policy‐Making Implications of Unintended Competence Transfers," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 643-660, May.
    22. Basedow, Robert, 2020. "The EU's international investment policy ten years on: the policy-making implications of unintended competence transfers," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105161, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    23. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/f5vtl5h9a73d5ls976m34ikh5 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Sophie Meunier, 2017. "Integration by Stealth: How the European Union Gained Competence over Foreign Direct Investment," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 593-610, May.

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