Tartuffe or Steamroller? France in the Making of EU Health Policy

Abstract

This paper examines the role of France on the European Union through a case study of "low politics", namely the development of European Union health care policy. Faced with a new policy field, one created by the European Court of Justice rather than member state volition, the member states all had to develop their approaches and strategy. The case study shows how the high level of French coordination in EU affairs led it to develop an approach, focused on Services of General Interest, that worked better for economic actors than as a proposal for health care policy. Eventually, once the agenda moved so far on as to make the French position untenable, France shifted- and, once health was loosed from the overall strategy, was able to quickly reap the rewards of its large investment in EU health policymaking.

Keywords: European Union, health policy, France, Services of General Interest