The National Coordination of EU Policy in Luxembourg: Weak System, Strong Results?
Kathleen Hielscher, University of Luxembourg
Although the literature examining the national coordination of EU policy has increased recently, the existing studies represent rather the ’older‘ member states by excluding the Luxembourgish case. On the other hand, a study that focused on smaller member states regarding the effectiveness of national coordination practices was realized in a broad comparative framework (cf. Panke 2010) which does not allow a deeper understanding of the specific structures in each national case. Against this background, the present paper aims to analyse the national coordination system of Luxembourg regarding its EU policy. Based on interview data on national officials working in Luxembourg and Brussels, this study represents the first systematic account of national policy coordination in this founding member state, which is still assuring a certain influence in EU policy-making by coordinating efficiently. This apparent effectiveness is related to empirical findings which indicate a coordination system characterized by high levels of informality and intransparency, as well as a chronic shortage of personnel.