Understanding how value divides shape EU policy implementation

Divides over values that emerge during the legislative negotiations can contribute to variation in implementation. In the framework developed in this paper, three distinct types of value divisions are identified: value divides embedded within the adopted EU policy itself, divides among decentralized implementers, and divides between the EU policy and those responsible for its decentralized implementation. These divides affect implementation in specific ways and can lead to different outcomes, including the preservation of existing tensions that prompt changes to the legislative policy. The implications of our framework are illustrated through analyses of the implementation of two major and contrasting EU policies. The first one is the EU free movement of persons policy, which establishes a level playing field for citizen mobility and is grounded in multiple, competing values. The second is the EU ambient air quality policy, which sets minimum standards for cleaner air and is based on more broadly shared values. We show that diverse values underlying the free movement policy leads to differentiated implementation, whereas in the case of the air quality policy shared, values limit such variation. Instead, debates about air quality primarily center on the raising levels of ambition level and refining the measurement of clean air.