Princen, Sebastiaan and Schimmelfennig, Frank and Sczepanski, Ronja and Smekal, Hubert and Zbiral, Robert (2022) Different yet the same? Differentiated integration and flexibility in implementation in the European Union. West European Politics, 47 (3). pp. 466-490. ISSN 0140-2382

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Abstract

Differentiated integration (DI) and flexibility in implementation (FI) are two forms of differentiation that can be used to cope with heterogeneity among EU member states. Given the different ways in which they do so, this article asks whether DI and FI are alternatives for each other or whether they serve different functions in EU legislation. Based on a dataset that maps the occurrence of opt-outs and flexibility provisions in EU directives, the analysis shows that DI and FI tend to be used together. A qualitative analysis of directives that combine different levels of DI and FI shows that, within that overall pattern, DI is used to accommodate individual outliers, while FI is used to address widespread concerns among member states. This suggests that DI and FI are two forms of differentiation in the EU, which are used to address different aspects of a common underlying set of concerns.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Differentiation; European Union; differentiated integration; flexibility in implementation;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
Item ID:	17998
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2022.2150944
Depositing User:	Hubert Smekal
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2024 10:49
Journal or Publication Title:	West European Politics
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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