The new Eurocrats : national civil servants in EU policy-making / Karin Geuijen ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Geuijen, Karin, 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

European Union--Officials and employees.

European Union.

Policy sciences.

Political planning--European Union countries.

Political planning.

European Union countries.

European Union--Netherlands.

Netherlands.

Physical Description:

176 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

[Amsterdam] : Amsterdam University Press, [2008]

Summary:

Policies in the European Union are largely made by national civil servants who prepare, take and implement decisions in Brussels as well as at home. Despite the important role of national civil servants in EU governance, they form a 'hidden world' that has received little attention from both the media and academics.

This book addresses a range of questions that are pertinent to this hidden world, focusing on one EU member state, the Netherlands. How many civil servants are actually involved in EU-related activities? What do these civil servants do when they engage with the EU? And how do they negotiate their dual roles as national civil servants and participants in european networks?

These questions are answered through a wide variety of sources and research methods: a large-scale survey among Dutch civil servants, interviews with civil servants who participate in EU policy processes, and observations of meetings both in Brussels and in The Hague. In addition, special attention is given to national experts who are seconded to the European Commission by their government.

This book thereby offers a unique and invaluable insight into the activities of national civil servants in the EU, and uncovers some of the secrets of this hidden world of EU governance.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Studying Eurocrats at Work 13

1.1 Emerging Eurocracy: National civil servants and European integration 13

1.2 From diplomats to international experts 15

1.3 Tensions and dilemmas in diplomatic practice 21

1.4 Research questions 23

1.5 Methods 24

1.6 Book plan 27

Chapter 2 Toward A Europeanised Civil Service? A Survey Study 31

2.1 Surveying the Dutch civil service 31

2.2 Finding Dutch 'Eurocrats' 33

2.3 The organisational context of Dutch Eurocracy 41

2.4 The virtuous spiral of organisational Europeanisation 48

Chapter 3 Eurocratic Work as Strategic Behaviour: Moving Before the Commission Does in Veterinary Policy 51

3.1 Representing the 'national interest' in Brussels 51

3.2 Uploading in the pre-proposal phase 52

3.3 Research design 57

3.4 Frontloading, signalling and coalition formation in veterinary policy 58

3.5 Eurocratic work as strategic behaviour: Conclusions 73

Chapter 4 Getting Things Done in European Police Co-Operation 77

4.1 Eurocratic work in the Third Pillar: A different world? 77

4.2 The case of data availability: 'Messy' policy-making in Europe 78

4.3 Species of Eurocrats 85

4.4 Understanding national Eurocrats: Conclusions 99

Chapter 5 Bridge Builders or Bridgeheads in Brussels? The World of Seconded National Experts 103

5.1 Living and breathing the Brussels bureaucracy 103

5.2 Getting inside the insiders: Methodology and data 105

5.3 Demand and supply: The Dutch and the expert secondment system 106

5.4 Profiling the Dutch expert contingent 111

5.5 Knowing how and knowing who: Networking 113

5.6 Life after secondment: SNEs and their careers 123

5.7 An underutilised asset: Conclusions 125

Chapter 6 Understanding Eurocratic Work: Conclusions and Reflections 129

6.1 Dutch Eurocracy revisited 129

6.2 Eurocrats: How many, where? 130

6.3 Eurocratic work: Individual professionalism 131

6.4 Eurocratic work: Organisational preconditions 140

6.5 Grasping the real world of Eurocracy: The road ahead 146.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-169) and index.

ISBN:

9789053567975

9053567976

OCLC:

232567363