Paper Titles & Abstracts

This paper analyzes the various dimensions of the Europeanization of cities which have emerged in the EU multi-level system in recent years. European cities are affected by European integration because most EU legislation is implemented at the local level. However, cities are no longer policy-takers which merely implement European legislation, but have developed into policy-shapers. Traditional forms of representation through national associations and formal channels (such as the Committee of the Regions) have been complemented by new transnational forms of representation. Cities have opened offices in Brussels, founded transnational city networks, and tried to gain direct access to European institutions. Moreover, EU funding of cooperative projects involving cities from different countries have created transnational spaces independent from nation-states. This paper distinguishes three different dimensions of urban-level Europeanization. First, hierarchical Europeanization can be defined as the implementation of EU legislation and its impacts at local level. This top-down approach has shaped the debate among scholars and practitioners who have highlighted its (negative) implications for local self-government. Second, the effects of hierarchical Europeanization have led to the development of vertical Europeanization because cities have started to by-pass nation-states and influence EU institutions directly. Like the general debate on Europeanization, this perspective combines top-down and bottom-up arguments. Third, these approaches must be complemented by a third dimension which concentrates on horizontal Europeanization, namely city twinning and networking. Although EU institutions play either no role here or merely a facilitative one (e.g., through project funding), this is an important aspect of urban-level Europeanization.