This article draws on an empirical study of EC energy policy between 1985 and 1992 in a theoretical discussion of the requirements for a comprehensive theory of integration for the post-1985 period. An analytical framework that improves on intergovernmentalist approaches is proposed. The author argues that a `domestic politics' approach presupposes a delineation of state strategies and state actor capability in a given issue area prior to the analysis of interstate bargaining at the EC level. Further, this approach is argued to be inadequate as a basis for a theory of integration as such, where the ability on the part of the Commission for designing policy that satisfies states' interests is argued to be a necessary condition for the achievement of integrative outcomes. Integration is defined as the intended yet often informal effect of such policy designs, and informal integration is assumed to generate political pressures towards formal integration.
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