Cautious and creative: Understanding the Welsh Government’s EU interest representation strategy

Dafydd, Einion ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7971-664X 2013. Cautious and creative: Understanding the Welsh Government’s EU interest representation strategy. Contemporary Wales 26 (1) , pp. 162-181.

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Abstract

This study examines the strategy employed by the Welsh Government (WG) to promote its policy interests within EU policy-making processes between 1999 and 2012. It argues that working with the UK Government in the formulation and promotion of UK-EU policy forms the centrepiece of the strategy, but that the WG also explores other channels through the work of its representatives in Brussels. The WG has continued to make a conscious effort to refrain from acting in ways which might jeopardize its relationship with Whitehall despite changes in the level of party political congruence, displaying caution both in its engagement with the UK Government and in its interest-promotion activity in Brussels. The main factor explaining the continuity of the WG's approach is Welsh Labour's perception that it stands to gain little from publicizing conflicts with the UK Government on issues related to the EU. This research suggests that while incongruence increases the potential for intergovernmental tension, this tension will not necessarily manifest itself in the context of EU policy. The WG's strategy is also characterized by creativity. It explores various channels to promote its interests, working informally with actors such as the European Commission, MEPs, regional networks and other European regions.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Department of Politics and International Relations (POLIR)
Subjects:	J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain
Publisher:	University of Wales Press
ISSN:	0951-4937
Last Modified:	27 Oct 2022 09:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/65904

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