The working paper gives a first evaluation of a comprehensive survey of trade associations in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and at the European level. This survey is part of a broader research programme on "Interest Intermediation in the European Union" that started with a number of case...

The paper starts with the argument that in order to present the EU as a case in comparative regionalism a more inclusive understanding of regions has to be developed. When looking at region building as a social process of institutionalization we get a more encompassing understanding of the...

The latest series of European summits leaves us with a puzzle: on the one hand, they hint at a development of the EU towards an "ever closer Union", on the other hand, they reveal a "piecemeal culture", provoking critique and the demand for an encompassing institutional reform proposal. Among...