The European Commission1996

Of all the organisations that shape our political environment, the European Commission is perhaps the most maligned and least understood. Michelle Cini draws on up-to-date sources, both academic and journalistic, to explain what the Commission does, how it does it, and why. Three perspectives form the basis of this study: the question of leadership in and of the Commission, most notably in the guise of the President and the twenty commissioners; the organisation of the Commission - the structures and processes, both formal and informal, that shape internal dynamics and policies pursued; and the Commission's administrative culture - the myths, values, ideology and basic assumptions that are largely taken for granted by those who work within the institution. From these three perspectives, the author draws conclusions about the raison d'etre, the legitimacy and the effectiveness of what is rather narrowly labelled the EU's 'administration'.