For readers interested in an overview of what led to the adoption of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and its aftermath, this book traces the discursive dynamics and milestones of the negotiations around the MFF and the new recovery instrument, aimed at alleviating the economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Covering the negotiations of the current MFF, contributions by both scholarly experts in their respective policy areas and authors close to the policy community in Brussels provide a well rounded insight into this discerning topic. Chapters explore the issues that unfolded during the negotiations of the MFF and recovery package against the backdrop of conflicts over solidarity, identity and sovereignty and thus the scope of cooperation and membership as well as institutional design and authority. EU Policymaking at a Crossroads anticipates, describes and discursively explains changes in selected policy areas, looking into the negotiations, effects and reflections surrounding them.

This timely book will be a highly beneficial read for academics and students in the fields of international relations, European politics and public policy. Scholars specializing in multilevel governance of different policy areas such as sustainability, agriculture and migration will also profit from this comprehensive book.

About the Author
Edited by Sybille Munch, Professor of Political Science, Stiftung Universitat Hildesheim and Visiting Professor, Center for the Study of Democracy, Leuphana University, Luneburg and Hubert Heinelt, Professor for Public Administration, Public Policy and Urban Research, Institute for Political Science, Technische Universitat Darmstadt, Germany

Reviews
'Budget negotiations are often considered to be mostly rational and interest-based processes. Negotiations about the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in particular tend to be analysed as classical domains of fierce intergovernmental bargaining between EU member states. This edited volume goes beyond the rationalist assumptions and zooms onto the "struggle over ideas". By introducing an interpretive approach to the study of policymaking, this excellent collection makes an essential contribution to research on EU integration. With its focus on meaning as manifest in persuasion and justification, the book provides insights into the politicization and polarization encountered in different policy areas at a point in time, when the EU was, once again, considered to be "at a crossroads".' -- Frank Nullmeier, Bremen University, Germany



Book Information
ISBN 9781788977647
Author Sybille Munch
Format Hardback
Page Count 294
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd