States and Regions in the European Union

Tanja Börzel argues that the effect of Europeanization on the politics and institutions of the EU’s member states depends on the degree of conflict between European and domestic norms and rules. The book examines the relationship between the central state and regions in Germany and Spain, showing how Europeanization has served to weaken the powers of the regions. In both countries, the regions were forced to cooperate more closely with the centre, but the institutional impact in the two countries has been strikingly different. In Germany the existing cooperative Federal system was reinforced, but in Spain the traditional competitive relationship between the levels of government could not continue. Europeanization has led to a significant change in the pattern of Spanish politics, turning rivalry into cooperation. This book thus presents an important analysis of the impact of Europeanization on domestic politics, and on the relationship between states and regions in particular.

• Study of how the EU has affected the relationship between centre and regions • Also contributes to debates on how states adapt to international change • Empirical material on Germany and Spain, and environmental policy in the EU

Introduction; 1. Europeanization and domestic institutional change: a historical institutionalist approach; 2. Reinforcing cooperative federalism: institutional adaption to Europeanization in Germany; 3. Transforming competitive regionalism: institutional adaptation to Europeanization in Spain; 4. Sharing versus shifting the costs of adaptation: the Europeanization of environmental policy-making in Germany and Spain; Conclusions.

‘… an extremely well researched volume in which the author has successfully tackled a series of complex issues.’ Regional & Federal Studies

\'It deserves to be widely read by advanced undergraduates, postgraduate and academics with an interest in the transformation of the European states and in the dynamics of federalism and regionalism in contemporary Europe.\' West European Politics

‘Borzel’s latest work is well-worth a read for scholars of Europeanisation - wherein it will likely form a canonical contribution …’ The Journal of European Affairs

\'The thorough and counterintuitive examination of the impact of Europeanization on German cooperative federalism and Spanish competitive regionalism places Tanja Borzel\'s study of the States and Regions in the European Union directly among the most cutting-edge literature on European integration … there is much to recommend about this book … organised very lucidly which makes it easy to follow the arguments … appropriate even for advanced undergraduates and not just graduate students or academics interested in European studies, federalism, and regionalism … an excellent illustration of both a comparativist work and clear academic writing, which does not bog the reader down with excessive jargon.\' Journal of International Relations and Development