INFLUENCE OF MEMBER STATES IN THE EU

A Member State is having influence in the EU when EU policy outcomes realize its interests and objectives. Each Member State’s stance towards the EU is intimately bound up with its wider view of the way it wishes to approach its international challenges and place in the world.

Apart from the politics of a Member State’s EU policy, a Member State also exercises influence in the EU by virtue of the quality of its personnel and administrative capacity.

Member States are able to wield influence if they have very good civil servants who are well prepared for meetings as well as a solid EU policy coordination system between the Government Executive Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their Permanent Representations to the EU. Member States need also to have EU sections in their government ministries and make full use of their Embassies in other EU Member States. In other words the extent to which a Member State exercises influence effectively in the EU depends on administrative, diplomatic capability and coordination.

The nationals of a Member State who are on the staff of the EU institutions are widely acknowledged to be important informal channels of Member State influence in the EU.

The race for influence tends to go to the Member States that are proactive, well organised alliance-builders, and that maintain effective networks. It is also important to nurture constantly bilateral links to all the other Member States not just focus effort on the largest countries at the expense of smaller EU member states. It is most important to foster bilateral relationships widely with other Member States around the EU. This can be through the establishment of regular meetings between junior Ministers and their counterparts in other Member States. Ministers and senior officials need to visit EU capitals widely, to help build alliances in support of key pieces of EU legislation.

Finally Member States should frame their approach and their language in pan-EU rather than national only terms and should remain constructive, positive and engaged.

For small Member States, it is not their size per se but how they act strategically in order to be influential.

Capacity to exercise power and influence

• Intensity of policy preference (intensity with which a Member State holds a given preference and is willing to argue for it).
• Skill at alliance building
• Administrative capacity (coordination of European policy, developing productive networks, learning from best practices in other Member States).
• Persuasive advocacy (including consultation with interest groups such as trade unions, lobbyists, business confederations).
• Receptiveness of other Member States.
• Domestic political strengths.

Most influential Member States

1. Germany
2. France
3. United Kingdom
4. Spain
5. Italy
6. Netherlands
7. Poland