EU Climate Norms in East‐Central Europe

Abstract This article suggests that the literature on how the E uropean U nion ( EU ) diffuses its norms externally and that on how it diffuses them internally should be linked. Therefore, the focus is on a field where the EU is described as a ‘normative’ power: climate change. The article analyzes how EU climate norms are diffused to new M ember S tates. It argues that there are two roads to state socialization: through civil servants participating in EU work, and via domestic norm entrepreneurs. The empirical analysis is based on how four of the M ember S tates that joined the EU in 2004–07 worked with the C limate and E nergy P ackage of 2008–09. With the exception of one of the countries, there are few indications of an ongoing socialization process among them. For the EU as a normative power it is important to reflect upon why the underlying EU climate norms are rejected in the studied countries.