Switzerland’s Differentiated European Integration

‘While there has been much talk in both scientific and
political arenas, we still know little about the dynamics and day-to-day
functioning of Switzerland's "bilateral way". Jenni's excellent book
fills a gap. The innovative application of the "differentiated
integration" framework to a rich collection of data makes an important
contribution to both the Swiss and European literature.’

– Prof. Pascal Sciarini, Head
of the Department of Political Science and International Relations,
University of Geneva, Switzerland


‘The book addresses very topical and hitherto
under-investigated questions on the basis of an impressive database. It makes a
major contribution to the existing literature both for conceptualizing the
notion of differentiated integration at the level of regulatory Europeanization
and for our knowledge of the scope and dynamism of European provisions in the
Swiss legal order.’


– Prof. Sandra Lavenex, University of Geneva, Switzerland



‘Sabine Jenni provides a systematic long-term analysis of
the impact of European integration on Swiss legislation. She finds that,
although Switzerland is not an EU member, it is subject to the same or
functionally equivalent institutional dynamics as the member states. This study
makes an important contribution to our understanding of differentiated
integration – and a highly topical one in light of the ‘Brexit’ debate.’

– Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

This
book analyses Switzerland’s European policies using the concept of
differentiated European integration, providing a new and original perspective
on the country. This analytical approach focuses on the similarities between
Switzerland's EU policies and the integration of EU member states. The latter
have often been the focus of research as Switzerland is the last Western
European country not to have become a member of the European Union (EU) or the
European Economic Area (EEA). The book claims that Switzerland’s position on
the European integration map is different in terms of degree from many EU
member states, but not different in kind. The cornerstone of the book is new
empirical data quantitatively measuring Switzerland’s differentiated
integration during the period 1990 – 2010. The data rely on the sectoral
agreements Switzerland concluded with the EU and the voluntary incorporation of
EU law into domestic legislation. The book shows, among other findings, that
over time Swiss European policies have begun to resemble integration policies
and that the more they did so, the more dynamically they evolved.

Sabine
Jenni is Associated Researcher at ETH Zurich and holds teaching assignments
at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland. She also works as a Project
Coordinator for artasfoundation.