Europeanisation

thumb|The flag of Europe Europeanisation (or Europeanization, see spelling differences) refers to a number of related phenomena and patterns of change: The process in which a notionally non-European subject (be it a culture, a language, a city or a nation) adopts a number of European features (often related to Westernisation). Outside the social sciences, it commonly refers to the growth of a European continental identity or polity over and above national identities and polities on the continent. Europeanization also mean a trend in Orthodox countries (Russia and the Balkans) catching up with and becoming similar to the Western Europe in terms of political system, social system, culture, dress codes, artistic styles, economy, infrastructure, technology, and basic rules of behaviour from the 19th century to first half of the 20th century. Europeanisation may also refer to the process through which European Union political and economic dynamics become part of the organisational logic of national politics and policy-making.

==Definitions== Europeanisation in political science has been referred to very generally as 'becoming more European like'. More specifically than this, it has been defined in a number of ways. One of the earliest conceptualisations of the term is by Ladrech (1994, 69), who defines Europeanisation simply as ‘an incremental process of re-orienting the direction and shape of politics to the extent that EC political and economic dynamics become part of the organisational logic of national politics and policy making.’