European Union and Minorities: Different Paths of Europeanization?

Abstract

Europeanization literature does not bring together member and candidate countries in a single comparative framework. Focusing on minority governance, an issue area which is not part of the acquis, I compare Europeanization in these two sets of countries. In the candidate countries the EU triggers a top‐down change in minority language policies through conditionality. Alternatively, in the member countries it provides the space for a bottom‐up change in such policies through boomerang pattern, as the European institutions fund non‐state actors and help them form coalitions resulting in rising demands from the member countries. Using reports on EU‐funded projects, and examples from Latvia, Turkey, Sweden, and Northern Ireland, I demonstrate that in minority governance, Europeanization is not a uniform process and it operates within different institutional logics: logic of consequences in the candidate countries vs. logic of appropriateness in the member countries. This variation is an important determinant of the outcome of Europeanization.

Key Words:

• Conditionality
• European Union
• Europeanization
• institutional logic
• language
• minority

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Juliet Johnson, Hudson Meadwell, Jerome Black and the two anonymous reviewers whose helpful comments and advice greatly contributed to this research.

Notes

1. European Parliament, 16 October 1981, [1984] OJ C287/106.

2. See Case C‐106/96 United Kingdom and others v. Commission [1998] ECR I‐2729, the European Court of Justice’s judgment threatened the existing funding structure as it held that every significant EC expenditure must be grounded in the prior adoption of a legislative act.

3. Galbreath and Muiznieks (2009) provide a detailed review of this vast literature.

4. See European Commission, Proposal for a Council Decision on Principles, Priorities and Conditions Contained in the Accession Partnership with the Republic of Turkey, COM (2000) 714, Brussels, 8 November 2000

5. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/languages-of-europe/doc139_en.htm. (accessed 9 April 2010).

6. Saami Parliament, Swedish Tornedalians’ Association, Delegation of Finland Swedes, Jewish Central Council, and Riksförbundet Roma International are members of SWEBLUL. A comprehensive list of the funded projects is available at: http://www.sweblul.se/(accessed 9 April 2010)

7. Available at: http://www.humanrights.org.lv/upload_file/Shadow_Report_LCHR.pdf. (accessed 9 April 2010)

8. Latvian Cabinet of Ministers’ Regulations Nr.1023. (19.12.2006), Amendments to Cabinet of Ministers’ Regulations Nr.296 (22.08.2000) on Requirements on Proficiency Degree in the State Language Required for Performance of Professional and Positional Duties and the Procedure of Language Proficiency Tests.