ABSTRACT
The European Union (EU) is a unique formation: so unique that questions have to be raised as to whether, in studying the Union’s ‘administrative system’, modes of analysis used to examine state administrations can usefully be applied. At the least, it is incumbent on the writer to offer an initial perspective on the nature and form of the Union, lest we forget that we are not dealing here with a state administration writ large. We must also bear in mind that comparisons with state administrations can be as misleading as they are enlightening. Nevertheless, it is possible to examine the Union’s administrative system by adopting modes of analysis commonly used to examine state administrations. The European Union has a broad range of policies and a well-established system for formulating and delivering them. It has a legal framework and a network of institutions and procedures. It is a political system and therefore we can ask the fundamental questions of who gets what, when and how. We can explore how policy making power is distributed within the system, and how Union institutions interact with the citizens they exist to serve. We can also examine the Union’s administrative style and culture.
