Spain in the EU: preferences, policy process, and influence in Brussels

Ignacio Molina ^[1]
1. [1] Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  
  Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  
  Madrid, España
Localización: The Oxford Handbook of Spanish Politics / coord. por Diego Muro, Ignacio Lago Peñas, 2020, ISBN 9780191865848, págs. 683-698
Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
- Spain has been a firmly pro-integrationist country and, despite some deficits in the coordination machinery for European affairs and a series of developments after 2001 that may have led to an erosion of its position as compared with other member states, Madrid’s capacity to influence decisions in Brussels is not negligible. Its domestic-policy preferences have been stable and the country is traditionally considered as an effective player in some key areas. To better understand how important the EU policy and Europeanization are for Spain and which strategies have been used by it over more than thirty years of negotiations at the supranational level, this chapter is divided into four sections: (a) the strong political basis of membership among citizens and parties, (b) the national EU policy process with attention to the central government and other secondary actors, (c) Spain’s main priorities in Brussels and (d) its policy-shaping ability over time.