Negotiations in the EU Council of Ministers And All Must Have Prizes' [Paperback]

This book analyses ten years of continuous negotiations about EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, answering questions such as When and how are decisions typically reached in the European Union?Insiders and outsiders agree; there is something particular about negotiating in Brussels. This book analyses ten years of continuous negotiations about EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, answering questions such as When and how are decisions typically reached in the European Union? What is this culture of consensus that pervades negotiations in the Council of Ministers? And why are some member states more successful than others in making their voices heard? Using the metaphor of the Caucus race from Alice in Wonderland, Smeets' book offers a fresh perspective on the decision-making realities in Brussels European Quarter. By providing unique empirical insight into behind-closed-doors debates, it explains the faltering accession process of the countries of former Yugoslavia. But most of all, it reveals the mechanism by which national interests are accommodated, so that deals can be reached between the member states.ContentsList of Abbreviations ixList of Figures and Tables xiAcknowledgements xiiiIntroduction: A Typical Day at the Justus Lipsius xvChapter One  Theorising Council Negotiations 1Chapter Two  A Caucus-Race Model of Negotiations 21Chapter Three  Research Design 41Chapter Four  The Double Bluff: Perspectives and Positions 61Chapter Five  Procedural Anchors and Verbal Commitments(June 2000June 2003) 83Chapter Six  Croatia Sets the Stage or Raises the Bar(June 2003December 2005) 101Chapter Seven  Searching for Standard Operating Procedures(January 2006June 2008) 129Chapter Eight  Splendid Isolation?(June 2008October 2010) 157Chapter Nine  Conclusion 183Appendices 203Bibliography 217Index 233Sandrino Smeets is a historian, journalist and political scientist. He specialises in EU decision making and international negotiations in the fields of foreigl£