Governance networks in the external dimension of EU migration policy: Europeanisation through the grapevine?

摘要

An often overlooked dimension of the EU's influence is the Europeanisation of Non-Member states. While Europeanisation in the case of member states and accession countries stems from the supranational influence of EU law and the increasing integration, EU influence in co-operation with third countries has been undertheorised. Drawing from insights of organisational sociology and neo-institutionalist theory, the analysis of the organisational field of the external dimension of EU migration policy reveals interorganisational dynamics that are likely to impact on the policy output in non-Member States and shape Europeanisation processes.Complex interdependence leads to mutual influence whereby actors on all sides can impact on policy outputs. EU-influence is therefore dependent on the compatibility of understandings of migration and approaches as well as administrative capacities in the coordinating and implementing bodies. Rather than being dominated by EU actors, actors in third countries and implementation partners such as international organisations can be considerably empowered by Europeanisation. The process is hence not unidirectional but has multiple feed-back loops with considerable repercussions for policy output and process. This will be exemplified by empirical results from EU cooperation on migration with Morocco and Ukraine.