Small States and EU Governance
Jean Micallef GrimaudRelease date:2 October 2017
Language:English
Pages:287
ISBN:3319573209
Publisher:Springer International Publishing AG
Price:€ 97,71
This book examines a crucial question about small states and their governments’ influence in the European Union (EU) decision-making processes. – Are EU small member state governments influential in EU decision-making processes? In other words, do they exercise influence in these processes? And if so, how and at which stage do they do this? This book seeks to answer the above questions by focusing on Malta – the smallest state in the EU – and whether it exercises influence in `uploading’ its preferences in two distinct stages of EU legislative decision-making processes – decision-shaping (formation) and decision-taking (adoption). The cases selected and analyzed showcase the Maltese government’s behaviour in legislative negotiations in differing EU policy spheres that are extremely relevant to it. These are the adoption of EU directives on pyrotechnic articles (falling under the EU competition and consumer health and safety policy spheres) and on the extension of EU long-term residence to beneficiaries of international protection (falling under EU immigration policy). As analyzed in the latter chapters of the book, Malta’s government has achieved varying degrees of success in its exercise of influence in these EU decision-making processes.
Jean Micallef Grimaud
Jean Micallef Grimaud is currently working for Malta’s government at the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU in Brussels as part of Malta’s Council of the EU Presidency team. There he heads the Education, Youth, Culture, and Sports unit and will chair the Council’s Education Committee during Malta’s Presidency from January to June 2017. Previously, Jean held positions at the Office of Malta’s Prime Minster and was a member of Malta’s Diplomatic Corps between 2001 and 2009. He served as a First Secretary at the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union in Brussels from 2004 until 2009 where he held various positions – as a First Secretary on the EU Structural Funds (2004-2006), a member of the Cabinet of the Permanent Representative (2006-2008), and finally MERTENS (2008-2009) which is a position held by high ranking diplomats. Jean was awarded his doctorate degree from the Manchester Metropolitan University. His research focused on small state influence in the shaping stages of EU decision-making.
