Nationality and European Negotiations:

Abstract

This article explores the communication networks of negotiators in the working groups of the Council of Ministers of the European Union. We employ data collected by interviewing diplomats and civil servants involved in these working groups. These data enable us to explore the role of discretion in a more systematic fashion. We show that negotiation behaviour at the micro-level can be affected by influence esteem, professional esteem, ideological esteem and organization self-esteem. Our approach offers an insight into the world of the men and women involved in day-to-day negotiations and can as such be considered a starting point for more systematic empirical research.