European Agencies Law and Practices of Accountability

Author: Madalina Busuioc
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780199699292
Published In: March 2013
Format: Hardback , 328 pages
Jurisdiction: European Union ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

Out of stock

Description
Contents
Author

Details

The first comprehensive and empirical study of accountability of European agencies
Focuses on the primary mechanisms of accountability and considers them with respect to five key European regulatory agencies: the European Medicines Agency; the European Aviation Safety Agency; the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market; Europol; and Eurojust
A key reference work feeding into current debates surrounding the EU's 'regulatory state'

European agencies have been created at a rapid pace in recent years in a multitude of highly pertinent and sensitive fields ranging from pharmaceuticals and aviation safety to chemicals or financial supervision. This agency phenomenon shows no signs of relenting, and the trend in recent years is towards the delegation of ever-broader powers. These bodies, meant to operate at arm's length from political control, have real power and their opinions and decisions can have a direct impact on individuals, regulators, and member states. Given the powers wielded by the agencies, who is responsible for holding these non-majoritarian actors to account? Is the growing concern surrounding agency accountability 'much ado about nothing' or are we faced with the threat of a powerful and unaccountable bureaucracy?

These are precisely the questions that this book seeks to answer. It thus addresses one of the most relevant topics in current European governance: the accountability of European agencies. Scholars have increasingly called attention to the risk of placing too much power in the hands of such agencies, which operate at arm's length from traditional controls and cannot easily be held accountable for their actions. Although this is a major issue of concern, systematic empirical research into the topic is lacking. This book addresses empirically whether, and if so on what counts, agency accountability is problematic. It examines how the accountability system of European agencies operates at both the de jure as well as the de facto level, through an examination of legal provisions, relevant case law as well as policy documents and extensive interview material. Reflecting on these findings, the book also offers important theoretical insights for our understanding and study of accountability in a complex regulatory regime such as the EU context. The book follows a multi-disciplinary approach and is at the cutting edge of law and public administration.

Readership: Academics and students working in European law, public administration, regulation, and accountability; practitioners working with European Institutes and agencies

1: In Search of Agency Accountability
2: Introducing European Agencies
3: Accountability: From Elusive 'Buzzword' to Clear-Cut Concept
4: Methodology: Behind the Research Scenes
5: Managerial Accountability: Too Much Board, too Little Management
6: Political Accountability: A Patchy Picture
7: Financial Accountability: More than Just Number Crunching
8: (Quasi-) Judicial Accountability: Life Within and Beyond Legality
9: Agency Accountability: Between Deficits and Overloads
Bibliography

Madalina Busuioc, Assistant Professor at Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance (ACELG), University of Amsterdam.

Madalina Busuioc is an Assistant Professor at the Amsterdam Centre of European Law, where she has worked since 2009. She received her doctorate from Utrecht University in 2009 (cum laude). She has published both in law and public administration and is the author of numerous international book contributions as well as articles in journals including the European Law Journal, the Journal of European Public Policy and Public Administration.