European rule adoption in Central and Eastern Europe: a comparative analysis of agricultural water management in Serbia

Regulation of Serbian agriculture's water use is analysed as a basis for wider debate on European rule adoption. Three models that seek to explain patterns of non-compliance are assessed: external incentives; policy learning/lesson drawing; and Mediterranean syndrome. Although such models tend to be presented as competing frameworks, evidence suggests that this is inappropriate. Survey and interview data reveal a substantial implementation deficit for environmental regulation in Serbia, and this has several characteristics in common with the Mediterranean syndrome. In this case, problems of compliance with European rules cannot be divorced from domestic regulatory failure.