Internal Management of External Relations: The Europeanization of an Economic Affairs Ministry

This book presents an organizational study on the impact the momentum of European integration has had on one ministry, i.e. the Netherlands Ministry for Economic Affairs. It describes the issues at the start of the 1990s which triggered the organizational adaptation process and it analyzes the way in which internal coordination mechanisms have been upgraded. For this purpose, a conceptual tool is developed to assess a ministry's capacities for coordinating European affairs.
The Europeanization activities that are being discussed in this book should be seen in the light of the major developments in integration of the last decade. As a result of these developments, the message has come home to national administrations that 'Europe' is not just a distant concept and a topic mainly for diplomats but something that affects the daily business of officials. In addition, the widening and deepening of European integration has raised important questions for practitioners on whether and how national ministries should be adapted. Questions which have to be faced include: Has the momentum of European integration really implied major changes in the environments in which ministries operate, or has the alleged impact of the EU been inflated by, among others things, expectations created in the press following '1992' and 'Maastricht'? Should every official now be regarded as responsible for the European dimensions of his/her own work? Should every official now internalize EU expertise and hence be sent to training seminars, or are the expectations regarding expertise and involvement in the EU unrealistic? Are major organizational changes demanded within ministries, and what kind of measures can be taken? Is it better to abolish specialized units for EU affairs or should they be reinforced?
The answers to such questions vary considerably both within the academic world and among practitioners. As a corollary, those responsible for the Europeanization of a ministry are presented with a considerable amount of uncertainty. Moreover, given the intergovernmental basis of the EU, the success of the integration process might be highly dependent on the way in which European affairs are managed within Member States and within ministries. This book therefore suggests a model, and applies it, in order to deepen understanding of the administrative implications of the EU.