Regional Representations in the EU : Between Diplomacy and Interest Mediation

What are regional representations in the European Union? What do they hope to achieve? Since the mid-1980s, sub-state actors in the EU such as county councils, Lander, Autonomous Communities, local, municipal and city authorities have been opening representative offices in Brussels -- mini 'embassies' for their territories. Although on the surface these representations might look the same, in practice they operate according to very different dynamics. Whilst some rival national governments for a stake in EU policy development, others have more modest ambitions. This book offers a comprehensive assessment of the burgeoning phenomenon of regional representation in the EU. Considering evidence from old member states as well as those which joined the EU more recently, it looks at where strategies and aims differ, positioning various 'types' of representation closer to the work of embassies or to that carried out by lobbying groups. The author also considers how regional representations contribute to our understanding of multi-level governance in the EU.

CAROLYN ROWE is Lecturer in Politics at the Aston Centre for Europe, Aston University, UK. She has advised the EU Committee of the Regions on multi-level governance issues and provided research for the drafting of the body's Mission Statement. She is co-editor of the book German Federalism in Transition: Reforms in a Consensual State (2009).