Best, Edward; Settembri, Pierpaolo --- "Surviving Enlargement: How Has the Council Managed?" [2008] ELECD 270; in Best, Edward; Christiansen, Thomas; Settembri, Pierpaolo (eds), "The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2008)

Book Title: The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union

Editor(s): Best, Edward; Christiansen, Thomas; Settembri, Pierpaolo

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781847203458

Section: Chapter 3

Section Title: Surviving Enlargement: How Has the Council Managed?

Author(s): Best, Edward; Settembri, Pierpaolo

Number of pages: 20

Extract:

3. Surviving enlargement: how has the
Council managed?
Edward Best and Pierpaolo Settembri*

The Council of the European Union ­ the Council of Ministers ­ has been
the subject of concerns about the impact of enlargement since before 1995.
Indeed these have been more prominent and more focused than in the case
of the other institutions, given that it is here that the increase in numbers is
most directly and obviously reflected. Some issues have concerned percep-
tions of fairness, given the significant increase in the relative number of
small countries enjoying over-representation in the institutional system.
Most, however, have related to effectiveness. Would there not be a risk of
paralysis if decisions had to be taken between 27 or more countries without
major change in the rules? How would meetings be managed with so many
delegations?
This chapter therefore looks at the Council, three years after the 2004
enlargement, in order to assess what has actually changed in how the
Council does business, and what significance enlargement may have had. It
first addresses the methodological challenges which are involved in identi-
fying and evaluating the specific `impact' of enlargement on the Council,
and presents the data and parameters which are used in the present analy-
sis. It then looks back at the initiatives taken by the Council to prepare for
the enlargement with regard to decision-making rules, languages, the
General Secretariat, and Council working methods. The third section
assesses how the Council has `survived' the doubling of membership, and
...