The Development of Integrated Administration in the EU and its Consequences

Abstract: The discussion about the transformation of forms of government and governance in Europe cannot avoid touching upon the role of administrations or administrative actors. Within the EU's multi-level system, the activities of agenda-setting, policy formulation, and implementation all involve some form of interaction between public actors from the sub-national, national, supranational, and international levels. Cooperation amongst administrations in Europe has become the backbone of the EU's unique system of government and governance. Forms of cooperation have led to an integrated administration, which has developed in an evolutionary fashion and operates in large parts beyond the formally constituted rules of the treaties. This article explores the implications of this phenomenon and argues for the need of a changed perspective.