Small States in Europe

This book offers an accessible, coherent and informative analysis of contemporary and future foreign policy challenges facing small states in Europe. Drawing on the relational understanding of small states, it emphasizes the implications of institutional change at the European level for the smaller states and explains how the foreign and European policies of small states in the region are affected by the European Union. Leading experts analyze the experiences of a number of small states including the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Iceland, Austria and Switzerland. Each account, written to a common template, explores the challenges and opportunities faced by each state as a consequence of EU integration, and how their behaviour regarding EU integration has been characterized. In particular, the authors emphasize the importance of power politics, institutional dynamics and lessons of the past. The effects of the past decade of institutional change within the European Union on small states have often been overlooked. This innovative study allows readers to draw sophisticated comparisons between countries and exposes important insights for future small state strategy in the European Union.