Influencing Aid Policy: Perceptions of How Member States Shape EU Development Cooperation

This article explores the European Union’s (EU) aid policy process and, more precisely, the factors through which member states (MS) shape the formulation of development cooperation policy at the EU level. Following literature on EU policy processes, we identify the several influence factors available for MS to advance their priorities in the context of defining EU aid policy and legislation. Thematically, these refer to MS’ national institutional frameworks, their strategic vision and coordination, their human resources, the interactions among representatives and actors in Brussels and structural factors. The relevance and functioning of these factors when MS shape EU development cooperation policy are then explored through semi-structured interviews, showing that the exertion of power on the part of MS is not limited to their economic size or financial contributions and that influence is the result of the combination of a wide array of factors in the domains of coalitions, power resources, networks, institutions, and critical junctures.