“_Say”_And_“Pay”__The_Impact_Of_European_Union_On_German_And

“ Say” And “Pay”: The Impact Of European Union On German And Austrian Lander. European Union is one of the main forces that shape the political and social environment in Europe, as well as beyond it, today. Naturally, it affects member states the most. Impact can be seen in every aspect of social life and is discussed on the daily basis. The influence of European Union is so big that even the most conservative structure of member states’ - political culture had to undergo the painful process of reconstruction and adaptation. The changes are the greater in those states that are further away from European Union’s standards and norms. As Radaelli (2000) argues, the bigger is the misfit between national and European norms and practices the bigger changes does the states have to undergo in order to comply with the EU laws and regulations. Countries react differently to the challenges posed by EU. Some created new bodies (ministry for European Integration) or substructures within the existing bodies (the European offices that exist almost in all ministries of member states) and creating coordinating structures. Having more resources and information available, central governments took a lead in the process of adaptation. They were faster and better suited to face the challenge of losing the decision making power posed by lander, european, integration, austria, regions, government, germany, federal, states, german, federalism, eu, member, process, central, union, power, one, level, between, very, europe, political, policy, governments, countries, austrian, 2001, thus, position, main, borzel, two, parliaments, new, information