Shattering the Single European Sky: Argument from authorities in dealing with the SES initiative

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe article scrutinises the European Commission’s Single European Sky (SES) initiative from a neoinstitutionalist epistemic governance perspective. The focus is on the rhetorical tools actors deploy in accounting for SES and the problems in it. We argue that the slow progress made in realising SES is not simply due to conflicting national interests. Member states are not uniform actors with a single, easily defined will or interest but rather, several entities appeal to national interests and other shared values to defend their position in the process. The delay in realising SES does not stem from the Commission’s inability to reconcile the distinct stakeholder interests but it is due to diverse discursive skirmishes the SES project has triggered. These skirmishes amount to a persuasion game whereby various actors account for SES in ways that do not endanger their own interests in the initiative, thus constantly transforming the SES project and its outcomes.