The European Commission, expert groups, and the policy process. Demystifying technocratic governance

Challenging the assumption that policy makers' work with advisory committees is emblematic of technocratic governance, this book provides an authoritative account of European Commission expert groups and their role in the European Union's policy process. It offers a rich empirical investigation of an under-studies and highly topical subject matter, including an analysis of the European Commission's expert group system, in-depth studies of single expert groups, and a cross-sectoral review.

The results challange the prevailing view of expert groups as purely technocratic entities. Expert groups provide not only solutions to complex policy problems but also tactical support for predefined policies, and they broker consensus in anticipation of impending decision making. By showing how and why the European Commission uses its expert groups, this book offers novel insights into the relationship between policy makers and their advisors in modern governance.

Contents:

1. Introduction
2. A relationship of resource dependencies
3. A bird's-eye view
4. Technical advice united with political agenda setting
5. Powerfully shaping the Commission's research agenda
6. A reality check and clearing house
7. Accumulating political ammunition
8. A cross-sectoral view
9. Conclusion: technocratic governance between myth and reality

This book challenges the assumption that policy makers' work with advisory committees is emblematic of technocratic governance. Analyzing how and why the European Commission uses expert groups in the policy process, it shows that experts not only solve technical problems, but also function as political devices and negotiators in modern governance.