According to Putnam’s Two-Level Games approach there are two kinds of defection from international negotiations: voluntary and involuntary. Once a state becomes a member in the unique institutional regime of the European Union (EU), is there defection from new integrationist treaties negotiated in Inter-Governmental Conferences? And if there is, is it voluntary or involuntary defection? First, the theoretical prospects will emerge from adjusting Putnam’s Two-Level Games approach to the EU. Second, empirical examination of five opt-out case-studies will corroborate or refute those theoretical prospects and questions. Both lead to the conclusion that opt-outs are the only form of defection that exist in the EU today, and that most opt-outs examined are involuntary defections. Finally, the implications of such classification will be drawn.
The Politics of Opt-Out in the European Union: Voluntary or Involuntary Defection?
JVF Conference Papers
