ABSTRACT

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in this book. The book focuses on the European Union and analyses the role of the 19 small member states in the day-to-day negotiations in working parties and COREPER, where the bulk of policy decisions are made. It analyses how and under which conditions the frequent usage of different shaping strategies translates into negotiation success. The book demonstrates that active participation in negotiations is the key prerequisite to negotiation successes. It also examines a series of interaction effects, by which an increase in strategy-specific resources increase the effectiveness of a particular shaping strategy. The book presents case studies on the spirit drinks regulation and the regulation on the authorisation of plant production products on the market in order to trace the causal processes underlying the effectiveness of the various shaping strategies. It shows that small states can especially punch above their weights in using persuasion-based strategies in international negotiations.