How do EU norms and policies circulate abroad? Linking policy formulation and implementation through the sociology of international actors

Based upon the case of the ENP, this chapter explores the transfer and circulation of norms and policies outside the EU. It draws upon an actor-centred approach to examine how EU templates are “exported” to the neighbourhood and how “importation” from the EU unfolds in different domestic contexts. The chapter seeks to eschew the normative premises of Europeanisation studies, which tend to exceedingly focus the analysis on the EU. By borrowing from other disciplines and broadening the focus of investigation, the chapter brings to light the roles of other actors and factors previously overlooked in the literature.