Hardback
Beyond ‘Ever Closer Union’
The Juncker Commission’s Ambition in Migration and Economic Policy
9781035313228 Edward Elgar Publishing
With novel insights into the ambitions and objectives behind President Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission, this innovative book elucidates how the Commission has transcended the concept of ‘ever closer union’ in its attempts to adopt a future-proof EU reform agenda in the highly contested fields of migration and economic policy.
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Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
With novel insights into the ambitions and objectives behind President Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission, this innovative book elucidates how the Commission has transcended the concept of ‘ever closer union’ in its attempts to adopt a future-proof EU reform agenda in the highly contested fields of migration and economic policy.
Focusing on migration and economic governance policies, the book analyses policy-maker interviews, Commission publications, and policy negotiation processes. It finds the Juncker Commission to be highly ambitious and political, in contrast to its more technocratic predecessors. In place of a self-empowering supranational agenda, it argues that the Commission has adopted a reform agenda, seeking to empower new EU bodies and actively build policy coalitions. Given that this shift in ambition was driven by external contexts, the book predicts that future Commissions will follow a similar path, providing insights into how this may be balanced with Member State ambition.
With novel empirical analyses and original contributions to debates on new intergovernmentalism, new supranationalism, and liberal intergovernmentalism, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of European politics, EU integration, international relations, political economy, and governance.
Focusing on migration and economic governance policies, the book analyses policy-maker interviews, Commission publications, and policy negotiation processes. It finds the Juncker Commission to be highly ambitious and political, in contrast to its more technocratic predecessors. In place of a self-empowering supranational agenda, it argues that the Commission has adopted a reform agenda, seeking to empower new EU bodies and actively build policy coalitions. Given that this shift in ambition was driven by external contexts, the book predicts that future Commissions will follow a similar path, providing insights into how this may be balanced with Member State ambition.
With novel empirical analyses and original contributions to debates on new intergovernmentalism, new supranationalism, and liberal intergovernmentalism, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of European politics, EU integration, international relations, political economy, and governance.
Critical Acclaim
‘Bojović''s empirically rich study of the Juncker Presidency will be of interest to all those seeking to understand the European Commission’s ambitions for European integration in the highly sensitive domains of economic governance and justice and home affairs.’
– Dermot Hodson, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
‘Bojović''s work on the Juncker Commission is a great piece of research, which flags the centrality of supranational institutions for new intergovernmentalist scholarship. The book shows how Juncker sought to combine political ambition and complicity with intergovernmental institutions, experiencing both success and failure of Commission leadership.’
– Uwe Puetter, Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany
‘This book is a stellar analysis of the Juncker Commission, providing fresh insights into its political purposes and aspirations. Accessing the views of Brussels bureaucrats and other European policy makers, Bojović delivers a compelling account of the Commission’s goals and strategies around the critical policy concerns of European border control, migration, and asylum as well as around banking union proposals and revamping the European stability mechanism – policy episodes critical in shaping and checking the EU supranational project.’
– Diane Stone, European University Institute, Italy
– Dermot Hodson, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
‘Bojović''s work on the Juncker Commission is a great piece of research, which flags the centrality of supranational institutions for new intergovernmentalist scholarship. The book shows how Juncker sought to combine political ambition and complicity with intergovernmental institutions, experiencing both success and failure of Commission leadership.’
– Uwe Puetter, Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany
‘This book is a stellar analysis of the Juncker Commission, providing fresh insights into its political purposes and aspirations. Accessing the views of Brussels bureaucrats and other European policy makers, Bojović delivers a compelling account of the Commission’s goals and strategies around the critical policy concerns of European border control, migration, and asylum as well as around banking union proposals and revamping the European stability mechanism – policy episodes critical in shaping and checking the EU supranational project.’
– Diane Stone, European University Institute, Italy
Contents
Contents: 1. Introduction: what makes the Juncker Commission interesting? 2. Theory and methods: how to explain the ambition of a supranational actor 3. The Commission’s ambition in Justice and Home Affairs 2014–19 4. The Commission’s ambition in the Economic and Monetary Union 2014–19 5. Conclusion: main findings and implications Bibliography Index
