European Union governance: efficiency and legitimacy in European Commission committees

Through a comparative analysis of three European Commission advisory committees comprising organized civil society actors, this volume investigates the existence of a dichotomy between the capacity of European Commission committee governance to improve system effectiveness and provide efficiency gains as well as sustain adequate democratic credentials. Karen Heard-Laureote asks whether under certain conditions or in certain policy-making contexts, legitimacy and efficiency may be reconciled or become at least partially compatible in European Commission committees. The main argument is that in committees functioning under the auspices of DG Agriculture, there is an improper balance between these two dimensions to the disfavour of legitimacy. Indeed, significant deficits are apparent. However, committees attached to DG Environment and DG Trade are better able to provide added-value, both in terms of efficiency and legitimacy. The primary aim is to understand the nature of this difference. "European Union Governance" will be of interest to students and researchers of European Union politics and policy-making.