Revisiting Implementation in the European Union: New Trends in Implementation and Enforcement

Abstract

In the age of Brexit and the rise of populist Eurosceptic political parties across Europe, research into “differentiated implementation” highlights how EU governance can be made to work in practice: the varying degrees to which states adopt and internalise EU legislation (at both the national and sub-national level) and, ultimately, how the EU enforces the implementation of its laws. By focusing on the output side of EU governance, this panel addresses the growing lacuna within this field which moves beyond the question of legal compliance. Discussions range from how regional authorities apply and enforce EU law to the theoretical concept of ‘over-compliance’; the issue of customisation and ‘gold-plating’ in member-states adoption of legislation; and the power of the European Commission and CSRs in enforcing legislation.