Precedents and Present Events in the European Union: An Institutional Perspective an Treaty Reform:

Precedents and Present Events in the European Union: An Institutional Perspective an Treaty Reform: The article: -about the 1996-7 intergovernmental conference (IGC) -shows the organizational factors -facilitates institutional reforms -challenges the liberal intergovernmental perspective The IGC: -IGC is a conference where representatives of the member states consider amendments to treaties -Outcome must be agreed upon unanimously and ratified by all member states -The 1996-7 IGC was formally opened in March 1996 during the Italian presidency -Formal …

…reform processes according to the LI perspective, that is, that key bargains in the EU are characterized by their voluntary nature, easy communication, and flexible as regards time -Sverdrup has shown that the IGC did not represent a voluntary process, that the processing of information was difficult and it was not flexible in time. -Conclusion: The LI perspective is fruitful, but it is not sufficient to explain the dynamics of key bargains in the EU