Med ena foten utanför-En teoriprövande fallstudie av Danmarks undantagsklausul från EMU

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the EU and the member states. There is a vide range of theoretical approaches intended to develop a greater comprehension in why European integration take place and how the political process within the EU can be explained. This study aims to test two competing integration theories, Liberal Intergovernmentalism and Sociological Institutionalism, against a case of decision-making within the EU. The case selected is the negotiations were the Danish opt-out from the EMU was accepted by the other member states, under the Edinburgh Agreement in 1992, after the Danish voters rejected the Maastricht Treaty. The research question in this study is therefore: Does the Liberal Intergovernmentalism Theory or the Sociological Intuitionalism Theory provide the better framework for understanding the other member states acceptance for the Danish opt-out from the EMU? From the two theories specific propositions and predictions were deducted and thus compared to empirical observations provided by documents from the negotiations in prior to the Edinburgh agreement December 1992. The study suggests that both LI and SI provide good frameworks to understand the Danish opt-out from the EMU. The overall conclusion of the thesis is that each theory contributes to a greater understanding of the European integration, and provides valuable insights to understanding the political process within the EU