European Union Trade Policy after Enlargement: Larger Crowds, Shifting Priorities and Informal Decision-making

The article focuses on the effects of Eastern enlargement on EU trade policy-making. On interest constellation, the article makes a case that protectionist forces have been strengthened relative to liberal forces. This slight protectionist turn is mostly witnessed in the area of anti-dumping and with respect to the Doha trade round. On preference aggregation, guided by a principal-agent framework, it is argued that the growth in the number of actors (principals and interest groups) has not constrained the role of the European Commission (agent). However, it has led to an increase in informal processes and has empowered large trading nations vis-agrave-vis smaller and less 'comitology-experienced' member states.

Keywords:
Business groups; comitology; decision-making; enlargement; principal-agent theory; trade policy