"Avoiding the 'tyranny of the tiny': Prospects for EU institutional reform from the point of view of the smaller states"

Mosser, Michael W. (2001) "Avoiding the 'tyranny of the tiny': Prospects for EU institutional reform from the point of view of the smaller states". In: UNSPECIFIED, Madison, Wisconsin. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This paper examines the impact-both real and imagined-of the smaller states of the EU on the process of institutional reform. I argue that the current debate over institutional reform can only be understood in the context of the history of European integration, and show that the smaller states have been consciously manipulating the rules throughout the integrationist institutions' lifespans to best fit their capabilities. The ability of the smaller states to bind their larger and stronger counterparts is due to these very same rules, devised at the earliest stages of European integration. While not concurring with the view that the new smaller states of the EU will exercise a "tyranny of the tiny," I show that their influence on the EU's course of action is far more real than is generally imagined.

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