A Research Agenda
| Author | LEE MILES |
| Published date | 01 June 2002 |
| Date | 01 June 2002 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0010836702037002978 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
A Research Agenda
LEE MILES
A symposium dedicated to the Swedish European Union (EU) Council
Presidency was inspired by preparations for the ‘Evaluating the Swedish
EU Council Presidency’ conference.The event — organized jointly by the
University of Hull’s Centre for European Union Studies (CEUS) and
the UK’s University Association for Contemporary European Studies
(UACES) — was held at the Embassy of Sweden in London on 25–26
October 2001. The papers presented and feedback received at the confer-
ence form the basis of the contributions to this symposium.
At face value, a symposium discussing the Swedish Presidency serves a
number of functions. First, it provides an analysis and a recent case study of
the dynamics affecting (small) states when ‘leading’ the Union in the capa-
city as EU Council President. Indeed, considering what makes for a
‘successful’ and ‘effective’ EU Council Presidency is the main focus of dis-
cussion of the opening contribution to the symposium by Ole Elgström.
This discussion sets the context for the later interventions.
The symposium can also shed light on the ‘adaptation’ processes that
member states experience as part of their full EU membership. There is
much research work to be done on the interrelationship between the expe-
riences of holding the tenure of a Council Presidency and the adaptation
processes of ‘new’ member states.In the Swedish case, for instance, the per-
ceived impact of the Presidency was all the more interesting in terms of
inter-Nordic rivalry. The widely acclaimed success of Finland as a ‘new’
small EU member when holding the EU Council Presidency in 1999 set an
example that the Swedes hoped to at least equal.
Similarly, there is also great research potential in examining how the
tenure of an EU Council Presidency affects general processes of
‘Europeanization’ within member states. It is widely acknowledged,
for instance, that each set of national policy-makers preparing for their
country’s turn at the helm of the EU Council seeks to identify key policy
agendas that can be utilized to further governmental prestige both at home
and abroad. The six months as the chair of the EU Council can further
the profile of the respective country at the EU level and also enhance the
‘Europeanization’ of domestic actors. These aspects are, to some degree,
considered by the contributions on the three ‘Es’ by Miles, Ekengren and
Wurzel.
In addition, and not least, a detailed discussion of the Swedish EU
Council Presidency is significant for the study of Swedish political affairs.
Cooperation and Conflict: Journal of the Nordic International Studies Association
Vol.37(2): 181–182. Copyright ©2002 NISA
Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi)
0010-8367[200206]37:2;181–182;023978
SYMPOSIUM ON THE SWEDISH 2001 EU COUNCIL PRESIDENCY
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