The Committee of the Regions: Institutionalising multi-level governance?

Abstract:

Alex Warleigh, a lecturer in politics of the European Union at Reading University, traces the development of the Committee of the Regions through its first mandate (1994-98). The author analyses the tasks, powers and output of the Committee, placing the latter in the context of the complex, evolving EU system. This system of 'multi-level governance' has resulted from the need of the EU's Member States to create common institutions that manage interdependence efficiently, while preserving as much independence as possible. Contrasting the Committee's formal weakness and administrative problems with its actual output and potential, he finds that the Committee offers subnational government players an opportunity for influence which, with the aid of the European Commission, they are willing and often able to exploit, thereby adding a genuinely subnational aspect to the governance of the European Union.

The publications in the European Dossier series, started in 1989, present accessible analyses of EU policies, institutions and related themes. Concise yet comprehensive, they are commissioned by the London European Research Centre, University of North London. The European Dossiers are a useful resource for teachers and an invaluable source of information for anyone with an interest in the EU. Issued five times per year, the Dossiers are published by Kogan Page in association with the London European Research Centre.