Abstract
The author describes the specific features of public policy process at the European Unionlevel and its differences related to policy-making at national level. He underlines, amongother things that the policy agenda in the European Union is being shaped differently.At the national level the agenda is under greater influence of politicians who are closelyinterconnected with voters. At the European Union level the technocratic (not directlyelected) European Commission has a monopoly of legislative initiative. Furthermore, atthe European level feasibility studies – as an element of the pre-decision stage in publicpolicy-making – tend to be ignored. In nation-states we can see such analyses as a resultof competition taking place between those who rule and their political opposition. Atthe European Union level it is not the case. The author points out that these mechanisms would have been beneficial for the EU member states. They would have haltedthe implementation of decisions which ran the excessive risk. He has also in mind thedecision related to the introduction of the monetary union. In his opinion, this decisionwas made without a proper feasibility analysis (costs and profits). Basically, the decisionon a common currency was made on political rather than substantive grounds. A largenumber of experts were against the idea as they perceived serious risks involved in it.The supporters of greater European integration ignored the fact that the monetary uniondeprived nation-states of many factors that affected the economic development in a positive way. The point is that they were under influence of “total optimism” expecting only good results of the monetary union. The mechanisms of crisis management, including exitscenario from the monetary union, or methods of supporting those members who needfinancial aid, have not been even created. Furthermore, the evaluation of the monetaryunion was not properly carried out as it was based on the assessment of the process (forexample, smooth introduction of euro notes and coins or phasing out of the nationalcurrencies in 2002) and not of its results
Highlights
The author describes the specific features of public policy process at the European Union level and its differences related to policy-making at national level
Monetary union is considered part of the acquis communautaire – the rights and obligations deriving from European Union (EU) treaties, laws, and regulations, which applicant countries must accept at the time of accession
The Czech Republic and Hungary have already linked their acceptance of the common currency to approval by popular referendum or by a supermajority in the national parliament..in a greatly enlarged and increasingly heterogeneous monetary union even the original members of the euro zone may conclude that the policies of the European Central Bank (ECB) no longer correspond to their national conditions as well as they did before the enlargement
Summary
Autor wskazuje na specyfikę sposobu tworzenia polityki publicznej na poziomie Unii Europejskiej w porównaniu ze sposobem tworzenia polityki na poziomie krajowym. While feasibility considerations are a key element of what I have called a predecision analysis, they continue to remain important after the initial policy decision has been taken This concern with the entire process of making, implementing, and adapting policy is, to repeat, what distinguishes policy analysis from the economic, legal or other narrower approaches to the theory and practice of public policy. The notion of feasibility, so crucially important at the national level, has often been completely overlooked, nor only by European policymakers, and by legal scholars and political scientists specializing in European affairs This fact already suggests that the political culture prevailing in Brussels must differ significantly from the political culture of contemporary democracies. If less striking, examples can be found in most other policy areas
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