The Institutions of the European Union

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The Institutions of the European Union is the key text for anyone wishing to understand the functions, powers, and composition of the EU's institutions. Written and edited by a team of leading international experts, the text offers a comprehensive analysis and explanation of all the most important organisations and their roles in the governance and management of the EU. The fifth edition has been substantially revised, featuring a range of newly authored chapters, and including coverage of the most important developments affecting the institutions of the European Union as they contend with the changing dynamics of European integration.

Up-to-date chapters examine current challenges, including the rise of populism and how it is wielded by politicians to target EU institutions, the climate emergency and the EU's bold new policy commitments to make the Union climate neutral by 2050, as well as the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Authoritative yet accessible, The Institutions of the European Union is the best guide to how institutions work together to provide political direction, manage the European Union, govern policies, and integrate contrasting interests within the EU.

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Útgefandi: Oxford University Press Academic UK

ISBN: 9780192607157

Print ISBN: 9780198862222

Format: ePub

Útgáfa: 5

Höfundar

Tungumál: English

Útgefið: 2021-12-20

Prent takmörkun á líftíma: 100

Prent takmörkun: 2

Afritunar takmörkun: 2

Flokkar: Sagnfræði Stjórnmálafræði

Efnisflokkar: Saga › Heimsaga Stjórnmálafræði › Evrópa

Kaflar

Cover
Title Page
Copyright page
Dedication page
Table of Contents
Preface
New to this Edition
List of Abbreviations
List of Contributors
1 Why EU institutions matter: five dimensions of EU institutional politics
1.1 An Overview
1.2 Defining EU Institutions and EU Institutional Politics
1.3 Theorizing EU Institutional Politics
1.3.1 International Relations
1.3.2 Integration Theories
1.3.3 New Institutionalism
1.3.4 The Separation of Powers
1.3.5 Governance, Public Policy, and Public Administration
1.3.6 Critical Perspectives
1.4 The Five Dimensions of EU Institutional Politics
1.4.1 Dimension 1: Intergovernmental vs Supranational
1.4.2 Dimension 2: International vs Transnational
1.4.3 Dimension 3: Separated vs Fused
1.4.4 Dimension 4: Leaders vs Followers
1.4.5 Dimension 5: Legitimate vs Contested
1.5 Studying the Institutions of the EU
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
2 The history of EU institutions: seven decades of institutional change
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Five Phases of Institutional Development
2.2.1 The Foundations
2.2.2 The Consolidation of the Community Method
2.2.3 The ‘Relaunch’: Institutional Change through Task Extension
2.2.4 Adapting the Institutional System
2.2.5 Adjusting to Functional Challenges: From the Financial Crisis to the COVID-19 Years
2.3 The Dynamics of Institutional Change
2.3.1 The Weight of State Interests
2.3.2 The Role of Institutions
2.3.3 When Do Ideas Matter?
2.4 Conclusion: The Resilience of the EU Institutional Model
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
Part I Providing Political Direction
3 The European Council: the Union’s supreme decision-maker
3.1 Introduction
3.2 From Historical Summits to Regular Informal Consultations
3.3 The Quest for Leadership in a Changing Union
3.4 The European Council in the Treaty of Lisbon
3.5 The Internal Functioning of the European Council
3.6 ‘Chefsache’: The Five Roles of the European Council
3.6.1 The Crisis Manager
3.6.2 The Impasse-Breaker
3.6.3 The Strategist
3.6.4 The Shaper
3.6.5 The Collective Head of State
3.7 Relations with Other Institutions
3.8 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
4 The Council of the European Union: co-legislator, coordinator, and executive power
4.1 Introduction
4.2 A ‘Council of Ministers’ and Its Historical Origins
4.3 The Dual Mandate of the Council in the Treaty of Lisbon
4.3.1 The Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP)
4.3.2 Coordination and Executive Decisions in the New Areas of EU Activity
4.3.3 The Configurations of the Council and the Eurogroup
4.3.4 The EU’s Most Senior Ministerial Groupings
4.3.5 Ministers as Law-Makers
4.3.6 Combining Law-Making and New Areas of EU Activity
4.4 Consensus and Majority Voting: Formal Rules and Informal Practice
4.5 The Presidency of the Council
4.6 Administrative Machinery
4.7 The Council in EU Institutional Politics and Integration Theory
4.7.1 New Intergovernmentalism: The Parallelogram
4.7.2 Embeddedness in Supranationalism: The Triangle
4.7.3 The Council in Inter-Institutional Relations
4.7.4 The Council within a Changing EU Political System
4.8 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
5 The European Commission: from collegiality to presidential leadership
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Commission in the EU System
5.2.1 Origins and Rationale
5.2.2 Understanding the Commission’s Role under the Treaties: Why Delegate?
5.2.3 A Constantly Changing Environment
5.3 Presidentialism and the Presidential Leadership of the Commission
5.3.1 Collegiality and Collective Decision-Making
5.4 Presidentialization: The Strengthening of the Presidential Office
5.4.1 Presidentialization and the Barroso Commission
5.4.2 Appointment of the Commission: President and Members of the Commission
5.5 Comparing Presidents in Office
5.6 The Promises and ‘Perils’ of Presidentialism
5.7 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
6 The European Parliament: powerful but fragmented
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The History and Main Functions of the EP
6.3 Why Has the EP Been Empowered Over Time?
6.4 To What Extent Is the EP Influential in EU Policymaking?
6.4.1 Has Co-Decision Given More Powers to the EP?
6.4.2 Trilogues and the Rise of Informal Politics
6.4.3 Influence beyond Co-Decision
6.4.4 The EP and the Appointment of the Commission President
6.5 A More Fragmented Parliament?
6.5.1 The Central Role of Political Groups
6.5.2 The Committees: Main Actors of Policymaking
6.6 To What Extent Is the EP Representative and Democratic?
6.6.1 Are European Elections Still Second-Order?
6.6.2 To What Extent Do MEPs Represent Their Constituents?
6.7 Current and Future Challenges
6.7.1 Polarization and Politicization
6.7.2 Facing De-Parliamentarization
6.8 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
7 The Court of Justice of the European Union: a quiet leader
7.1 Introduction
7.2 A Short History of the Court
7.3 The Structure and Composition of the CJEU
7.4 What Does the Court Do?
7.4.1 Applying EU Law Effectively (Preliminary Rulings)
7.4.2 Challenging EU Member States (Infringement Proceedings)
7.4.3 Challenging EU Institutions (Actions for Annulment and Failure to Act)
7.4.4 Ensuring Accountability (Actions for Damages)
7.5 The Constitutional Role of the Court
7.5.1 The Court and the Treaties
7.5.2 General Principles of EU Law
7.5.3 EU Law vs Member States
7.5.4 EU Law vs ECHR and International Law
7.5.5 From Constitution-Building to Policymaking
7.6 The Politics of the Court and EU Crises
7.6.1 The Court and Legitimacy
7.6.2 The Court’s Responses to Crises
7.6.3 The Court and Disintegration: Brexit
7.7 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
Part II Managing the Union
8 The European Commission: the cabinets and the services
8.1 Introduction
8.2 What Is the Commission?
8.2.1 Government or Secretariat?
8.2.2 Elected or Appointed?
8.2.3 Diplomats, Technocrats, or Politicians?
8.2.4 The Centralization of Power
8.3 The Services
8.3.1 Being a European Civil Servant
8.4 Cabinets
8.4.1 Political Work
8.4.2 Cabinets in the Internal Policymaking Process
8.5 Theoretical Debates
8.5.1 How Influential Is the Commission?
8.5.2 Who Sets the Internal Agenda?
8.5.3 Political Discretion vs Rules
8.6 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
9 European Union agencies: explaining EU agency behaviour, processes, and outputs
9.1 Introduction
9.2 The Rise of EU Agencies
9.2.1 EU-Level Agencification
9.2.2 The Increasing Role, Power, and Influence of EU Agencies
9.3 Theories Explaining Agency Behaviour, Processes, and Outputs
9.3.1 Institutional Theories
9.3.2 Organizational Theories
9.3.3 Bureaucratic Reputation Theory
9.3.4 Interest-Group Theories
9.4 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
10 The European Court of Auditors and the European Ombudsman: the EU’s ‘watchdogs’
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Institutional Origins
10.3 Organizational Set-Up
10.3.1 Internal Organization
10.3.2 Appointment and Independence
10.4 Powers
10.4.1 Formal Competences and Their Enactment
10.4.2 Impact and Strategic Cooperation with the European Parliament
10.4.3 Proactive ‘Watchdogs’
10.5 Relations with National Counterparts
10.6 Zooming Out: The ECA and the EO in Context
10.6.1 Capturing the Institutions Theoretically
10.6.2 The Relevance of EU Watchdogs in the Transforming System of EU Governance: The Case of Crises
10.7 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
Part III Governing EU Policies
11 The institutions of Economic and Monetary Union: from the euro crisis to COVID-19
11.1 Introduction
11.2 The European Central Bank
11.2.1 The Pre-History of the ECB
11.2.2 The ECB’s Powers
11.2.3 The Governance of the ECB
11.2.4 The ECB in Times of Crisis
11.2.5 The ECB’s Legitimacy
11.3 The European Stability Mechanism (ESM)
11.3.1 Governing the ESM
11.3.2 The ESM in Times of Crisis
11.3.3 Legitimating the ESM
11.4 The Commission, ECOFIN, the Eurogroup, and the Euro Summit
11.4.1 EU Institutions in Times of Crisis
11.4.2 Legitimating EU Institutions in EMU
11.5 Theorizing EMU and Its Crises
11.6 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
12 The institutions of Justice and Home Affairs: integrating security interests
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The Meaning of ‘Security’
12.3 Executive Dominance
12.4 Informal Transgovernmentalism
12.4.1 The Trevi Group
12.4.2 The Impact of Single-Market Integration
12.4.3 Informal Transgovernmental Cooperation in the 1980s
12.5 Formalized Transgovernmentalism
12.5.1 The Treaty of Maastricht and the Challenges of a Wider Europe
12.6 Partial Communitarization
12.6.1 The Treaty of Amsterdam
12.7 Five-Year Plans for Internal Security
12.7.1 Tampere
12.7.2 The Hague
12.7.3 Stockholm
12.7.4 The Strategic Guidelines
12.7.5 Security Union Strategy
12.8 Policy Development in the AFSJ
12.8.1 Anti-Terrorism
12.8.2 Migration, Asylum, and Border Controls
12.8.3 The European Arrest Warrant
12.9 The Treaty of Lisbon
12.10 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
13 The institutions of the Common Foreign and Security Policy: between intergovernmentalism and supranationalism
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Looking Back to the Origins: From the Failed European Defence Community to the Treaty of Lisbon
13.3 CFSP Institutions
13.3.1 The European Council
13.3.2 The Foreign Affairs Council
13.3.3 The Political and Security Committee (PSC) and Other Preparatory Bodies
13.3.4 The High Representative
13.3.5 The European External Action Service (EEAS)
13.3.6 The Role of Supranational Institutions: The Commission, the EP, and the CJEU
13.4 CFSP Institutions and the Five Dimensions of Institutional Politics
13.4.1 Dimension 1: A Continuum from Intergovernmentalism to Supranationalism
13.4.2 Dimension 2: International vs Transnational Cooperation
13.4.3 Dimension 3: Ensuring Coherence in EU External Relations
13.4.4 Dimension 4: The Leadership and Autonomy of CFSP Institutions
13.4.5 Dimension 5: The Legitimacy of CFSP Institutions
13.5 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
Part IV Managing Interests
14 The Committee of Permanent Representatives: integrating interests and the logics of action
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Coreper’s Origins
14.3 Structure of the Institution
14.3.1 Coreper I and II
14.3.2 Coreper’s Contestable Authority
14.4 Powers of the Institution
14.4.1 De Facto Decision-Makers
14.4.2 Integrating Interests
14.5 Theorizing Coreper
14.5.1 The ‘Janus Face’ of Coreper
14.6 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
15 European parties: a powerful caucus in the European Parliament and beyond
15.1 Introduction
15.2 The Shape of the EP Party System
15.3 Internal Organization
15.3.1 Group Cohesion
15.3.2 Balancing National and Group Interests
15.4 Coalition Politics and Parliamentary Committees
15.5 Electoral Accountability
15.6 Europarties and Their Spitzenkandidaten
15.7 Theorizing the EP Party Groups and Europarties
15.8 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
16 The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: consultative institutions in a multichannel democracy
16.1 Introduction
16.2 The EESC and the CoR in the Treaty of Lisbon
16.3 The European Economic and Social Committee
16.3.1 EESC Membership
16.3.2 Formal Powers and Working Procedures
16.3.3 Assessing the EESC’s Policymaking Role
16.4 The Committee of the Regions
16.4.1 CoR Membership
16.4.2 Formal Powers and Working Procedure
16.4.3 Assessing the CoR’s Role in Policymaking
16.5 The EESC and the CoR and EU Democracy
16.6 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
17 EU institutional politics: growing wiser?
17.1 Introduction
17.2 EU Institutions and the Five Dimensions
17.2.1 Intergovernmental vs Supranational
17.2.2 International vs Transnational
17.2.3 Separated vs Fused
17.2.4 Leaders vs Followers
17.2.5 Legitimate vs Contested
17.3 The Future of EU Institutions
17.4 Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Further Reading
Endnotes
References
Subject Index