Comitology: fusion in action. Politico-administrative trends in the EU system

Abstract

Studying the administrative infrastructure of the EU is an intriguing affair. Comitology committees, in particular, are significant indicators for analysing and assessing the evolution of the EU's administrative system. Relevant integration-related theories, however, offer several diverging analyses and assessments of their function and significance. Some of the existing empirical data denote considerable growth in administrative participation and a significant differentiation of procedures and forms, indicating a considerable Europeanization of national administrations. Insights into the behavioural patterns within committees indicate an interactive style in which the fundamental constitutional issues and the exact legal form are controversial, but where daily routine is characterized by business-like workings based on technocratic expertise and camaraderie, and geared to consensus among civil servants from several levels. Comparing realist, federalist, neo-functionalist and functionalist approaches, as well as erosion and governance views, the evolution of comitology committees can best be described as an indicator of a multi-level fusion process in action, leading to a yet undefined new stage in the evolution of West European states.