Dataset on the legal scope for flexible implementation in EU legislative instruments (FlEU dataset)

Dataset on flexible implementation in the EU (acronym: FIEU) was created as part of the Horizon 2020-project InDivEU, Integrating Diversity in the European Union. The aim of the dataset is to provide a quantitative overview of the scope for flexible implementation allowed for in EU legislation (legislative directives and regulations). In the dataset, legislative acts that were adopted in the period 2006-2015 are coded for the occurrence of provisions that allow member states flexibility in implementation, as well as the types of flexibility granted and their relative significance. This dataset complements the dataset on differentiated integration in EU secondary legislation (EUDIFF2), which was created at ETH Zürich and will be extended to cover more years as part of the InDivEU project. The FIEU dataset maps provisions in EU legislation that allow for flexible implementation by member states. Given the focus on EU legislation, it does not (and cannot) assess the extent to which this room for flexibility is actually used by member states. The dataset can therefore be used to trace the scope for flexible implementation in EU legislation over time and across sectors and/or types of legislation. It may also form the basis for further in-depth case studies, in which the use made by member states of the room offered in EU legislation is analysed.