Abstract

This study probes the domestic determinants and empirical relevance of government preference for European Union (EU) implementation. The main contention is that governments’ preference for implementation is defined in the context of broader contestation over European integration. Political parties that mediate this contestation represent competing social preferences for implementation and reflect these preferences in the implementation practices of national governments that they constitute. Using a unique dataset of individual infringement actions, the paper then explores the impact of government preference on the resolution of member states’ disputes with the European Commission over implementing EU rules. The key finding is that government preference as shaped in domestic political conflicts and party politics significantly determines EU implementation and, as a result, the effectiveness of EU rules.

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