GIULIANO URBANI e MAURIZIO FERRERA

La riforma delle istituzioni comunitarie: quali strategie?

N. 149

Summary - Is further progress in European integration really convenient in political and electoral terms for national leaders of the Twelve? A close look at the actual functioning of the European political market indicates that most political demands flowing in the Community process are of a particularistic and sectorial character and that the institutional framework makes it rewarding for politicians to satisfy those demands via the supply of selective policies. The root of this much lamented "euro-sclerosis" seems to lie in the pivotal position still occupied by national governments in the policy-making process and in the peculiar blend of inter-governmentalism which has therefrom emerged. A number of suggestions are put forward to escape from this predicament, the principal owe which is a reform of the inter-governmental model in order to increase the problem-solving capacity of Community institutions and especially of the Council(s). It is argued that the emphasis on majority voting is misplaced and that an improvement of the committee-like profile of the Council(s) could enhance both its decisional efficiency and effectiveness. The activation of diffuse interests is also advocated as a means to counteract special interest powers on the demand side of the political market.