The Open Method of Coordination: A New Policy Paradigm? Paper presented at the

European integration has long been associated with a particular working method, the “Community method”. It is characterised by a set of elements that differ from traditional models of international cooperation: transfers of powers from the member states to the European Union; the central role of a supranational organ, the European Commission, in the preparation of Community policies; the possibility of qualified majority decision-making; the adoption of binding rules, whose application is controlled by the Commission; and the power of the European Court of Justice to punish breaches of Community law. All these elements, which represent significant exceptions to the principle of national sovereignty, have brought the Community model closer to federal-type systems (Cappelletti et al, 1986; Quermonne & Croisat, 2000). Although the existence of other working methods has been recognised, their importance has been minimised. The establishment of intergovernmental “pillars ” in the areas of foreign policy, justice and internal affairs by the Maastricht Treaty has largely been seen as an anomaly, for which time should normally find a cure (De Schoutheete, 1997). However, the expansion of the scope of European Union policies resulted in the questioning of this traditional interpretation of integration. An increasing number of criticism