Larsson, Torbjörn; Murk, Jan --- "The Commission’s Relations with Expert Advisory Groups" [2007] ELECD 177; in Christiansen, Thomas; Larsson, Torbjörn (eds), "The Role of Committees in the Policy-Process of the European Union" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007)

Book Title: The Role of Committees in the Policy-Process of the European Union

Editor(s): Christiansen, Thomas; Larsson, Torbjörn

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781845426224

Section: Chapter 4

Section Title: The Commission’s Relations with Expert Advisory Groups

Author(s): Larsson, Torbjörn; Murk, Jan

Number of pages: 32

Extract:

4. The Commission's relations with
expert advisory groups
Torbjörn Larsson and Jan Murk

INTRODUCTION

The Commission and the Council are usually regarded as the two most
important operators of the EU institutions, even if the Commission's
influence has decreased in line with the increased power of the European
Parliament, according to some observers. One of the main reasons the
Commission remains influential is its mandate to initiate and shepherd
the policy-making process. As mentioned in the introductory chapter, the
policy-making process is to a large extent about shaping arenas where
different interests can meet and discuss issues of common concern. The
structuring of these arenas can be carried out in a number of ways,
ranging from very formal and fixed to very fragmented and informal. In
a democratic society the setting up of committees and working groups is
very important and this tool is often used to shape arenas for interaction
between competing interests. Thus, how and why committees and groups
are set up and organized are important elements in determining the result
of the policy-making process in terms not only of practical policies but
also of whether those policies will add to or reduce the legitimacy of the
EU system as such, as discussed in Chapter 2.
It is a well-known fact that not only do the European Parliament and
the Council have their own committee systems but the Commission also
has a vast number of committees and groups for its different ...