Smaller States’ Strategies and Influence in an EU of 27: Lessons for Scotland

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Author
Kirsty Hughes - Director and Co-Founder, Scottish Centre on European Relations

Abstract
This paper analyses how smaller EU member states develop their European strategies and tactics, set priorities and build alliances, and sets out some lessons for Scotland’s European strategy. Overall, smaller and medium-sized member states can be influential in the EU but that requires a pro-active, carefully developed strategic approach. The paper draws on a set of interviews with diplomats and officials in smaller EU member states, the European Commission and the Scottish government.

This is a UCL European Institute and Scottish Centre on European Relations Policy Paper. 

It has been written in the context of the research and policy engagement project “Small states in the EU, lessons for Scotland”, led by the Scottish Centre on European Relations’ 2019-2020 in collaboration with the UCL European Institute under its Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence Programme 2019-2022, co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Programme.

Read the paper (pdf)