Which Policy for Europe?

The European Commission is at the center of the European Union's political system. Within its five-year terms each Commission proposes up to 2000 binding legal acts and therefore crucially shapes EU policy, which in turn impacts on the daily lives of more than 500 million European citizens. However, despite the Commissions key role in setting the agenda for European decision making, little is known about its internal dynamics when preparing legislation. This book provides a problem-driven, theoretically-founded, and empirically rich treatment of the so far still understudied process of position-formation inside the European Commission. It reveals that various internal political positions prevail and that the role of power and conflict inside the European Commission is essential to understanding its policy proposals. Opening the 'black box' of the Commission, the book identifies three ideal types of internal position-formation. The Commission is motivated by technocratic problem-solving, by competence-seeking utility maximization or ideologically-motivated policyseeking. Specifying conditions that favor one logic over the others, the typology furthers understanding of how the EU system functions and provides novel explanations of EU policies with substantial societal implications. this is a timely and rigorous book. Its insights are the result of an innovative theoretical approach, as well as a very rich collection of data. By successfully refuting the idea that the Commission can be viewed as a unitary actor, this book has clear implications for the study of European policymaking more broadly. As more and more important decisions are taken at the European level, it is academics, activists and politicians who should be paying close attention to these arguments. Muireann ODwyer, LSE Blog I can strongly recommend reading Which Policy for Europe. Given the growing prominence of EU politics and policymaking in the twenty-first century, substantive knowledge of its key institutions and their functioning is of utmost importance for European citizens. Hartlapp, Metz, and Rauh take the study of the Commission an enormous step forward, and their book is a must-read for all serious scholars of the EU. Dirk Leuffen, University of Konstanz, Council for European Studies this book breaks new ground regarding the Commissions internal policy-development and while it does not convey any simple or simplistic message, it sets a high standard in terms of comprehensiveness and balance. Michael Blauberger, University of Salzburg, EUSA Review1. Introduction ; 2. Position Formation inside the EU Commission: An Analytical Framework ; 3. Studying Internal Dynamics ; 4. Connecting Personal Characteristics and Organizational Structure: Commissioners, Directors-General and Services ; 5. The Intersection of Social and Common-market Policies ; 6. Research and Innovation Policy ; 7. Consumer Policy ; 8. Expert Groups in the Commission: Knowledge providers or political device/ ; 9. Insulated, Technocratic Decision-Making? Commission Position Formation and the Public Acceptability of Policy Options ; 10. Structural Biases? The Link Between Internal Coordination and the Dynamics of Position Formation ; 11. Many Factors in Position Formation, but Some Matter More Often Than Others: Evidence Across Cases ; 12. Shaping Policies for Europe: Internal Position Formation Between Problem-Solving, Turf Expansion and Political Ideology ; 13. Conclusion: Why We Should Care About Power and Conflict Inside the European Commission