In recent years, the international engagement of the EU's decentralized agencies has continued to increase in the absence of a clear political and legal framework for their activities. This timely book addresses urgent questions about these agencies' external actions and their effects, how these should be conceptualized and assessed, and how they can and should be governed in the future. Bringing together pioneering interdisciplinary work from European legal and political scholars, this book combines theory with empirical case studies to explore an underdeveloped field and identify a future research agenda. Chapters first comprehensively examine the relevant legal frameworks and the political aspects of these decentralized agencies' external activities, before exploring the questions this raises around their own and the EU's legitimacy and accountability, and the impact of agencies on countries outside the EU who have dealings with them. Scholars in law, political science, economics and public administration will find this book invaluable, particularly those working on external relations, agencification or institutional innovation. It will also prove useful to policymakers at EU and national level, as well as other stakeholders such as non-EU countries and international organizations.

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.

In the first interdisciplinary work focused on the European Ombudsman, expert observers of EU institutional affairs provide a thorough evaluation of the Ombudsman and its constitutional role, powers, activities and future potential. The book addresses the Ombudsman's impact on accountability in the EU's executive branch and offers new suggestions for the further development of the practice of 'ombuds review'. The contributions to the discussion within this book come from law, political science, administrative science and economics. Looking at comparative developments in EU law and policy they critically review, from a variety of perspectives and methodologies, the Ombudsman's role in the review of activity of EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies. They then evaluate this role, and its achievements, against the original objectives for creating an Ombudsman some 20 years ago. This timely book will appeal to scholars and advanced students of the EU political and legal system. It is a also must-read for policy advisors and practitioners looking to enhance their understanding of alternative modes of dispute settlement and anyone interested in the future of administration in the EU. Contributors include: P.N. Diamandouros, D. Dragos, I. Harden, H.C.H. Hofmann, R. Mastroianni, J. Mendes, B. Neamtu, C. Neuhold, G. Tridimas, T. Tridimas, J. Trondal, A. Wille, J. Ziller

The comparative study of administrative law has a long history dating back more than 200 years. It has enjoyed a renaissance in the past 15 years or so and now sits alongside fields such as comparative constitutional law and global administrative law as a well-established area of scholarly research. This book is the first to provide a broad and systematic view of the subject both in terms of the topics covered and the legal traditions surveyed. In its various parts it surveys the historical beginnings of comparative administrative law scholarship, discusses important methodological issues, examines the relationship between administrative law and regime type, analyses basic concepts such as 'administrative power' and 'accountability', and deals with the creation, functions, and control of administrative power, and values of administration. The final part looks to the future of this young sub-discipline. In this volume, distinguished experts and leaders in the field discuss a wide range of issues in administrative law from a comparative perspective. Administrative law is concerned with the conferral, nature, exercise, and legal control of administrative (or 'executive') governmental power. It has close links with other areas of 'public law', notably constitutional law and international law. It is of great interest and importance not only to lawyers but also to students of politics, government, and public policy. Studying public law comparatively helps to identify both similarities and differences between the way government power and its control is managed in different countries and legal traditions.

This book explores how the architecture of European economic and monetary governance has radically changed over the last decade. It demonstrates the ways in which the micro- and macro-economic constitutions of Europe have reacted to legal measures enacted to counter past economic crisis, together, profoundly modifying the way in which European constitutionalism is understood. Within this innovative book, leading scholars and experts in European economic law discuss the changes and the problems arising for today's Economic Constitution from an interdisciplinary perspective. Analysing both the economic and social aspects of European legal integration and proposing solutions to challenge the current state of affairs, The Metamorphosis of the European Economic Constitution will be of value to academics and practitioners alike.

Administrative Law and Policy of the EU provides a comprehensive analysis of the administration of the European Union and the legal framework within which that administration operates. The book examines the multifarious approaches, techniques, and structures of public administration in order to systematise and assess the solutions they offer to political, social, and economic problems.
The legal framework of administration is examined from the standpoint of how it meets the demands of specific policy objectives established by democratically accountable decision-makers. Administrative law structures and many of its underlying principles have developed in an evolutionary and isolated manner in each policy area. While aware of the diversity of specific areas, this book takes an overarching approach, setting out the common rules and principles that constitute the general body of EU administrative law.
By integrating the disciplines of political and administrative science, and administrative law, the book offers a rich explanation and critique of the complex executive framework of the EU.

The move towards a system of integrated administration in the EU poses considerable legal challenges. This book explores ways in which accountability, legality, legitimacy and efficiency can be ensured in the multiple forms of co-operation of European and national administrations in the delivery of EU and EC policies. Examining the procedures and structures of European administrative integration, this innovative book will be a stimulating read for academics, researchers and both undergraduate and postgraduate students in European law.

This volume deals with the law governing the administrative implementation of European Union public policy. Much of this law is specific to individual policy sectors. The volume provides a study of such specialized admininstrative law for more than twenty sectors. This cross-sectoral approach allows for detailed comparisons of EU administration in diverse policy fields. It identifies situations where legal structures and approaches may be unnecessarily duplicated, thus indicating where a comprehensive, general system could be advantageous for both Union law and policy achievement. The comparative nature of the study also draws attention to policy fields which have proven to be testing grounds for approaches adopted subsequently in other areas. In addition, the work highlights the distinctive, highly networked, and strongly cooperative character of EU administration, as a reflection of, and a foundation for, the operative nature of the European Union as a whole.

Rules controlling State aid and subsidies on the EU and the WTO level can have a decisive influence on both regulatory and distributive decision-making. This field of law has grown exponentially in importance and complexity over the past decades. Rules on State aid and subsidies control are one of the key instruments to ensure that public spending and regulatory measures do not lead to discriminatory distortions of competition. As a consequence, hardly any part of national law is free from review under criteria of State aid and subsidy regulation. In turn, State aid and subsidies law is linked to economic, constitutional, administrative law of the EU and the Member States as well as to public international law. This book brings together leading experts from academia, the judiciary, civil servants from the European Commission, and practising lawyers to provide expert opinion and commentary on the diverse dimensions of the complex and vital area of law. Critically analysing and explaining developments and current approaches in State aid law and subsidies, the chapters take into account not only the legal dimensions but also the economic and political implications. They address the EU law applicable to State aid in the aftermath of the recent State Modernisation reform, and coverage includes: an in-depth analysis of the notion of State aid as interpreted by the Court's cases-law and the Commission's practice; the rules on compatibility of State aid with the internal market; the rules governing the procedure before the Commission; the litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Union; and analysis of the other trade defence instruments, including WTO subsidy law and EU anti-subsidy law.