The Commission’s Advisory Groups and Committees in the Field of Agricultural Policy

Abstract: The paper identifies the mechanisms through which Commission 'expert' committees in the European agricultural sector have adapted to the changed post-Eastern enlargement environment. It examines the role of formal and informal adjustment mechanisms in changing practices and procedures within agricultural advisory groups. Although a range of formal adjustments are identified, these arguably represent more an attempt by the Commission to address long-standing functioning issues and the extent to which they have actually altered internal processes is questionable. Additionally, although a range of informal adjustments might have been expected as a result of the largest enlargement round to date, these are in fact rare. In a later section, the paper considers the under-development of organized civil society in the agricultural sector within the new member states and finds this in part due to various resource constraints, a focus on domestic priorities and a weaker domestic culture of consultation.