Research project
European policy and policy execution
How can we understand the implementation of EU policy and what challenges are involved?
- Duration
- 2022 - 2025
- Contact
- Bernard Steunenberg
How is EU policy implemented, and what obstacles are encountered in the process? Much has already been said on this subject from various perspectives. At the same time, implementation remains a stubborn issue, with the ambitions that some envision being only partially realised. Whether it concerns older EU policies or more recently introduced ones, the implementation of policy proves to be quite challenging. Previous studies in the context of this project focused on issues related to the revision of previously established policies (EU posting policy) or the role that discourses can play in implementation (EU state aid policy). Currently, attention is directed towards unresolved value conflicts that, in the form of policy discretion, are essentially embedded in the policy itself and can resurface as issues during implementation. This can be seen, for example, in the EU residence rights policy but also occurs in other policy areas.