Hesitant E uropeanisation: two decades of practice in two city governments

Like many other cities in E urope, from the early 1990s, A msterdam and The H ague have over time intensified their EU engagement. In both cities there has been a switch from a view on E urope as problem solver, threat or duty, towards E urope as a means of profiling and identity building, as reflected in a change from passive towards active behaviour vis‐à‐vis E urope. Whereas E uropean activities initially were rather a formal practice, they have finally been put on the local political agendas. At the same time, this process of E uropeanisation seems to fare under the aegis of a wider process of internationalisation. The basic driving force is not aimed at E urope at all.