At the heart of the Union. Studies of the European Commission

Book abstract:

The aim of this work is to contribute to further understanding of the European Commission by bringing together in one volume the fruits of new research and new thinking. All aspects are considered, from recruitment to policy making; from the Commission's history to its future prospects. The European Commission is very much at the heart of the European Union. Its large number of responsibilities and variety of roles make it the institution which is most readily identified with the Union's many different activities.

The editor has based the publication of this book on two main premises. The first is that the significance of the Commission is such as to make it worthy of extensive and detailed study. Particularly prominent are its legislative, executive, judicial, representative and mediative roles. The second premise is that not as much has been written about the Commission as might be expected given its position as a key institution of the European Union. He acknowledges that there has been a considerable amount of research undertaken on the Commission, but asserts that not enough of it has appeared in published form.

Contributors are mostly academics from North American and British universities. Chapters include: European Commissioners, 1952-1995; identities in the European Commission; administrative culture in the Commission; the Commission and cohesion policy; the commission as an agent of the EU member states; uniting European industrial policy; the Commission and competition policy; the Commission as a strategic asset in domestic politics; the Commission and implementation in the EU; the Commission's role in the implementation of spending programmes; the Commission and the politics of legitimacy in the European Union; the Commission and intergovernmental conferences and theoretical discussion of the role of the Commission. The editor pulls these essays together with an introduction on the Commission at the heart of the Union and a conclusion on themes and prospects.