British Devolution and European Policy-making: A Step-change towards Multi-level Governance?

The Labour government came to power in 1997 with a commitment to conducting a more constructive European policy. However, the domestic machinery for making European policy has become more complex because of another Labour policy, the domestic devolution of authority. This paper explores the changes in the British machinery for European policymaking since 1997. It draws upon the literatures of Europeanisation and multi-level governance as analytical orientation. We argue that the UK has come closer to the prevailing continental model of multi-level governance but that this has arisen less as a result of a “Europeanisation-effect” than for domestic reasons.