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ABSTRACT
What scope and autonomy are available to a small member state holding the EU Presidency as regards shaping the agenda and influencing decision-making in the EU’s external relations? This article focuses on the case of the Slovak Presidency (SK PRES) of the Council of Ministers of the EU in the second half of 2016. Building on organization theory-inspired institutionalist approaches to studying practices in organizations, it examines how Slovakia sought to shape the EU’s external affairs agenda. Haugevik and Rieker have called for analyses of the balance between autonomy and integration of small member states in the EU’s governance order. This article is intended as a contribution to that end.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes on contributor
Jozef Bátora is professor at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. He is also professor in the Department of International Relations at Webster Vienna Private University. His research focuses on dynamics of change in insternational institutions, organization theory, diplomacy, security and EU governance.
Notes
* Earlier versions of this article were presented at workshops at the Department of Political Science at Comenius University and at NUPI in Oslo in autumn 2016 and at the ISA Convention in Baltimore in February 2017. The author would like to thank participants in these meetings for useful comments.
1. Interview I1 (20 July 2016); interview I5 (29 October 2016).
2. Interview I1 (20 July 2016); interview I2 (1 August 2016); interview I4 (21 September 2016; interview I5, 29 October 2016).
3. This was an observation noted in particular in interview I5 (29 October 2016).
4. Interview I1 (22 July 2016).
5. Interview I1 (20 July 2016); interview I5 (29 October 2016).
6. For the notion of “logic of appropriateness” see March and Olsen (Citation1989).
7. See https://www.nord-stream2.com/ (accessed 5 November 2016).
8. See http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-eu-energy-nordstream-idUKKCN0WI1YV (accessed 22 August 2016).
9. See Speech by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on “Nord Stream II – Energy Union at the crossroads”, European Parliament, Brussels, 6 April 2016, available at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-16-1283_en.htm (accessed 25 August 2016).
10. Interview I2 (1 August 2016); interview I3 (22 August 2016).
11. Interview I3 (22 August 2016).
12. Interview I2 (1 August 2016).
13. The division of labour in having the Slovak Presidency chair these four working parties was agreed between the EEAS and the Slovak Presidency prior to the Presidency period 2016. The choice of the particular working parties also related to specific expertise that Slovak Presidency possessed.
14. Interview I2 (1 August 2016).
15. See General Affairs Council 20/09/2016 – Main results, available at http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/gac/2016/09/20/ (accessed 5 November 2016).
16. Interview I5 (29 October 2016).
17. For an overview of recent Accession Conference meetings including key participants and agenda, see http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/?stDt=20160718&top=278 (accessed 26 August 2016).
18. Interview I4 (21 September 2016); interview I5 (29 October 2016).
19. Interview I5 (29 October 2016).
20. See European Commission Press Release, IP 16/3002, 14 September 2016, at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3002_en.htm (accessed 5 November 2016).
21. There are examples of legislation proposed by the Commission where it takes years and multiple rotating presidencies before issues get out on the Council agenda. This includes, for instance, the pending Commission proposal to establish a European Public Prosecutor’s Office, originally formally proposed in 2013. See European Commission Press Release, 17 July 2013 at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-709_en.htm (accessed 5 November 2016).
22. Interview I5 (29 October 2016).
23. Interview I5 (29 October 2016).
24. Interview I2 (1 August 2016); interview I3, (22 August 2016); interview I5 (29 October 2016).
25. Interview I2 (1 August 2016); interview I3 (22 August 2016).
26. Interview I4 (21 September 2016); interview I5 (29 October 2016).
27. For more on Paris Agreement see https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris/index_en.htm (accessed 4 November 2016).
28. Bratislava Declaration and Roadmap, Council of the EU, 16 September 2016, available at http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/09/16-bratislava-declaration-and-roadmap/ (accessed 10 March 2017).
29. This was reported by the Slovak Prime Minister Fico in a response during the Q&A session following his speech at the 17th Annual Review Conference on the Slovak Foreign and European Policy, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Bratislava, 16 March 2017.
30. Interview I5 (29 October 2016).
31. Interview I4 (21 September 2016).
32. Security and defence: Council reviews progress and agrees to improve support for military missions, http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/06-defence-security/ (accessed 10 March 2017).
33. President Jean Claude Juncker’s State of the Union Address 2017, Brussels, 13 September 2017, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-17-3165_en.htm (accessed 18 September 2017).