Politics and the European Commission: Actors, Interdependence, Legitimacy (Routledge Ecpr Studies in European Political Science)

The European Commission is an organization which has come to fascinate or repulse a range of national politicians, journalists and social scientists. In contrast to the prevailing image of the Commission as a 'bureaucrat's paradise', however, and by using the results of original research, this book deliberately sets out to investigate this organization's relationship to politics. It does so first by developing a variety of case-studies (health, development aid, preparations for Eastern enlargement, etc.) as a means of studying the relationships, networks and interdependencies which link commissioners and Commission officials to national politicians, civil servants and interest groups. Second, by looking in detail at how the Commission publicizes its work, notably through producing public information and liaising with the media, fresh light is shone upon the complex question of the Commission's legitimacy. Politics and the European Commission provides a framework for generating new information about, and interpretations of, the power struggles at the heart of the EU. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Notes on contributors......Page 12 Series editor's preface......Page 14 List of abbreviations......Page 17 Introduction......Page 18 Actors, institutions and interdependence......Page 32 Doing politics and pretending not to: the Commission's role in distributing aid to Eastern Europe......Page 34 The politics of collegiality: the non-portfolio dimension......Page 47 The Secretariat General of the European Commission, 1958 2003: a singular institution......Page 64 Political dynamics of the parallel administration of the European Commission......Page 84 The invention of a Directorate General for development (1958 1975)......Page 100 Institutionalizing public health in the European Commission: the thrills and spills of politicization......Page 113 The media, the Commission and its legitimacy......Page 134 Was it really just poor communication? A socio-political reading of the Santer Commission's resignation......Page 136 The politics of the Commission as an information source......Page 151 Advertising Europe: the production of public information by the Commission......Page 173 Publicizing the euro: a case of interest maximization and internal fragmentation of the Commission......Page 187 Where is he now? The Delors legacy......Page 203 Conclusion: politics in the European Union......Page 218 Bibliography......Page 224 Subject index......Page 243 Author index......Page 245 Politics And The European Commission Provides A Framework For Generating New Information About, And Interpretations Of, The Power Struggles At The Heart Of The European Union. As Such, It Will Interest All Students And Researchers Of Politics And The Eu.--jacket. Introduction / Andy Smith -- 1. Doing Politics And Pretending Not To : The Commission's Role In Distributing Aid To Eastern Europe / Cecile Robert -- 2. The Politics Of Collegiality : The Non-portfolio Dimension / Jean Joana And Andy Smith -- 3. The Secretariat General Of The European Commission, 1958-2003 : A Singular Institution / Hussein Kassim -- 4. Political Dynamics Of The Parallel Administration Of The European Commission / Jarle Trondal -- 5. The Invention Of A Directorate General For Development (1958-1975) / Veronique Dimier -- 6. Institutionalizing Public Health In The European Commission : The Thrills And Spills Of Politicization / Sebastien Guigner. Edited By Andy Smith. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [207]-225) And Indexes. The European Commission is an organization which has come to fascinate or repulse a range of national politicians, journalists and social scientists. This book investigates this organization's relationship to politics