Images of Europe: How Commission officials view their institution’s role in the EU

How do Commission officials conceive the Commission’s role in the European Union? Should the Commission be the government of Europe or the servant of member states? Is there a third possibility, the Community method, whereby Commission and member states share authority? This article lays out institutional options and role conceptions adopted by Commission officials, and estimates their relative incidence using a 2008 large-scale survey among Commission officials (N=1901). Pluralism reigns, and in explaining variation, national background shapes views much more than professional background.