Understanding policymaking in times of institutional change. : An analysis of actorship in the negotiations surrounding the Channel Tunnel in the context of Brexit.

Abstract: This Bachelor thesis discusses the process of decision-making and the actors involved in the negotiations of the Channel Tunnel. The Channel Tunnel Fixed link is situated between France and the UK, the interconnected region forms the Transmanche region. The Channel Tunnel is an infrastructure that has not just brought and further integrated both sides of the Channel but has become an important asset for connecting the UK to the rest of Europe. In 2016 it was announced that the UK would leave the EU, the previous agreements surrounding the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel fixed link needed to be renegotiated. This research uses the theoretical framework of Multi-Level Governance to analyse what are the decision-making process that took place during the negotiation of the Channel Tunnel fixed link. The research uses qualitative method, it focuses on the Qualitative Network Analysis to analyse the levels of governance the actors belong to. The research has determined that the decision-making process is both very structured and fixed, yet the UK influenced the outcome of the decision-making by demanding the withdrawal of the EU in the negotiations. Overall, the final policymaking process was the result of centralised decisions being taken at the level of the state in France and in the UK, which may create gaps in representing the interests of actors at the microlevel (locally or within the regions), and at the macrolevel (Other EU member states).