Introduction

Research on European governance is central to an understanding of both the process of European integration and its external role as a laboratory for multilevel governance. A range of diverse issues is addressed by this research field, notably the specificities of the European Union (EU) polity, the international experience of federalisms, the diversity of the EU modes of governance, the Europeanization of national policies, the interplay between European convergence and national diversity, the policy coherence and consistency in a multilevel governance system, and the modalities of differentiated integration.