A more or less intergovernmental union - European integration in the case of the European Development Fund

Abstract

Is the community Intergovernmental or Supranational? The question has perplexed EU-researchers since the dawn of the European Coal and Steel Community. This thesis answers the question in one specific case, namely the European Development Fund. It started as a trade project with the overseas countries and territories, and it has since developed into the EU’s and member states fund for the ACP countries. Funded by the member states on a voluntary budget and outside of the EU financial framework, it could be the poster child for an intergovernmental institution. With the help of an analytical framework and previous theories, I examine the case. This is done with the help of Liberal Intergovernmentalism, Neofunctionalism and an analytical framework with two ideal types that points at important markers. In the end, I illustrate how hard it is to pin a simple label such as intergovernmental or supranational on the European Development Fund.