This study offers an organisation theory approach arguing that the differentiated organisatational constellation of the European Union contributes to a differentiated penetration of domestic government decision-making processes. It is argued that the European Commission mainly activates the...

This chapter covers the Nordic member states Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as the “associated” countries Norway and Iceland, although the latter are not formal members of the EU. It follows the general template by presenting the history and politics of the European issue in these...

This paper reports a comparative study of the Environmental Regulatory Agencies in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Increasingly and relatively independently these agencies are taking part in transnational networks in the EU involving the European Commission. A strong informal penetration, fuelled...

The purpose of the EEA Agreement is to integrate the remaining EFTA countries (except Switzerland) into the EU’s internal market. Norway was required to incorporate the material legal rules that were in force at the time when the EEA Agreement was ratified, and remains committed to...

Norway and the EU enlargement: negotiations and attitudes In May 2004 the EU will enlarge. Simultaneously, the new members will become members of the EEA. This article discusses the negotiations on the enlargement of the EEA. During the negotiations the EFTA countries were faced with tough...

Two decades of New Public Management have placed agencifiction high on the agenda of administrative policy-makers. However, agencification (and de-agencification) has been one of the enduring themes of public administration. Agencies organized at arm’s length from ministerial departments have...

Membership in the European Union has for several decades figured as one of, if not the, most politically divisive issues in Norway. The question of Norwegian EU membership has been turned down in two popular referenda, and three governments have faltered on the issue. Since 1994, through the EEA...

Previous studies have shown that agencification tends to undermine political control within a government portfolio. However, doubts have been raised as regards the robustness of these findings. In this paper we document that agency officials pay significantly less attention to signals from...

In May 2005 the Norwegian government signed an agreement to contribute troops to the European Union’s so-called battle groups. These are integrated military forces that are at the disposal of the European Union for a period of 6 months at a time. Norway’s association with the battle groups...