Multilevel Union Administration - The Transformation of Executive Politics in Europe

The executive branch of government in Europe is being transformed in a profound way. We are witnessing the development of EU-level executive bodies that, for the the first time in the history of international organizations, are capable of acting relatively independently of member-state governments and councils of ministers. As a consequence, the quite peculiar development of the Commission and EU agencies seems to trigger significant centrifugal forces within national governments. National agencies are developing into components of two administrations: they continue to serve national ministries but also take part in the formulation and implementation of EU policies in close cooperation with the Commission or EU-level agencies, with relative independence from their respective ministries. The authors in this book argue that a genuine Union administration that spans levels of governance is definitely in the process of development.

List of Tables List of Figures Preface Notes on the Contributors List of Abbreviations Europe's Executive Branch of Government in the Melting Pot: An Overview; M.Egeberg The Institutional Architecture of the EU and the Transformation of European Politics; M.Egeberg Balancing Autonomy and Accountability: Enduring Tensions in the European Commission's Development; M.Egeberg The College of Commissioners: Executive Politics as Usual?; M.Egeberg EU Committee Governance Between Intergovernmental and Union Administration; M.Egeberg, G.F.Schaefer & J.Trondal Towards a Multilevel Union Administration? The Decentralization of EU Competition Policy; O.Stole Administering Information: Eurostat and Statistical Integration; U.Sverdrup National Regulators Between Union and Governments: A Study of the EU's Environmental Policy Network IMPEL; M.Martens The European Commission and the Integration of Good Safety Policies Across Levels; T.Ugland & F.Veggeland National Limits to Transnational Networking? The Case of the Danish IT and Telecom Agency; G.H.Norgard Transnational Networks Meet National Hierarchies: The Cases of the Italian Competition and Environment Administrations; D.Barbieri Conclusion; M.Egeberg Bibliography Index