Free to trade? Commission autonomy in the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations

Elgstrom, O. and Frennhoff Larsen, M. 2010. Free to trade? Commission autonomy in the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations. Journal of European Public Policy. 17 (2), pp. 205-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501760903561674

TitleFree to trade? Commission autonomy in the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations
AuthorsElgstrom, O. and Frennhoff Larsen, M.
Abstract

In this article, we suggest that the degree of (dis)unity – both between the member states (MS) in the Council and within the Commission – is a key factor in affecting the balance between Commission autonomy and MS control in international trade negotiations. We shed empirical light on this issue, and on the relative influence of MS and the Commission in general, through a case study of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. We suggest that the differing preferences and priorities among MS and the relative cohesiveness of the Commission provided the Commission with quite a high degree of autonomy during all phases of the EPA negotiations. The informational and procedural advantages given by its institutional position as sole negotiator also contributed to the significant autonomy of the Commission.

JournalJournal of European Public Policy
Journal citation17 (2), pp. 205-223
ISSN1350-1763
Year2010
PublisherRoutledge
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/13501760903561674
Publication dates
Published2010

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