Abstract Europeanization is not only top-down and one-dimensional. National governments play two-level games, encountering non-state actors that seek to shape the national interest positions. Examining migration and asylum policy, a domain not yet subject to extensive scholarly attention, the role of non-state interest groups and their influence, where coalition-building is successful, is highlighted. Empirically, the article explores the genesis of the EU's family reunion, asylum qualification and the labour migration directives. In theoretical terms, the article contributes to the burgeoning literature on Europeanization, while seeking to refine it further and apply it to a somewhat neglected policy domain.