BARGAINING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION:  THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MULTILATERAL NEGOTIATION PROCESSES

Alain  GUGGENBÜHL

doi:10.24193/subbeuropaea.2018.2.18

Authors

Alain GUGGENBÜHL Former Head of the Programme on European Negotiations, and Senior Lecturer, European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht and Brussels. Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. Email: alain.guggenbuhl@gmail.com.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbeuropaea.2018.2.18

Keywords:

Bargaining, European Union, Negotiation, Strategy, Council of Ministers

Abstract

At a time of visible oppositions and some tensed relations between Member States of the EU, the article aims to advance the study of bargaining and unilateralism in reiterative consensus building processes such as multilateral negotiations within the EU. It examines how bargaining tendencies influence the three dimensions of any negotiation: the architecture of the negotiation; the deal-making and haggling; and the interpersonal level. Using selected theory and research, it identifies the essential elements of a successful bargaining formula applied to EU negotiations. The article proposes to combine principles and techniques originating from game theory; hostage negotiations and crisis bargaining; and military methodology.

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