ABSTRACT
Analyses of multi-level governance in Europe have drawn attention to the diffusion of authority away from national governments to the supranational and subnational level, and the multi-lateral relationships that result (Hooghe, 1996; Ansell, Parsons and Darden, 1997). The emphasis understandably has been on explaining politics in emerging supranational and subnational arenas, yet there are signs that politics in national arenas is being transformed in the process. If a European polity is in the making (this volume, Introduction; Hooghe and Marks, forthcoming), then it would be surprising if this did not have profound consequences at the national level. At this point in time, however, we have very little idea about how multi-level governance in the EU affects democratic politics at the national level. Attention to domestic politics in member states illuminates important, but little-understood patterns of contestation and representation within the EU. These patterns have critical implications for EU legitimacy, because they reflect an increasing tendency of major party families to pursue national political projects through European means.
