EU Administrative Governance

This book is a unique contribution to the understanding of the reality of government and governance in the European Union (EU). It illustrates the EU's multi-level system and within it the activities of agenda setting, policy formulation and implementation which all involve co-operation between public administrations from the sub-national, national, supranational and international levels. The book portrays how co-operation amongst administrations in Europe has become the backbone of the EU's unique system of government and governance. Many forms of co-operation have led to a truly integrated administration, which has developed in an evolutionary fashion and operates in large parts beyond the formally constituted rules of the treaties. EU Administrative Governance unites studies analysing policy phases and the most important policy areas from all three pillars of the EU. It outlines some of the main challenges which arise from the close integration of national and European administrations and explores implications for accountability and legitimacy of Europe's increasingly integrated administration. This unique contribution to the contemporary understanding of structures underlying European government and the exercise of governance will be of great interest to scholars in the fields of administrative law, EU law and administrative sciences.