Doing politics and pretending not to

Academic research on the European Union (EU) has undergone a series of evolutions, one of which is the increasing attention given to the European administration. This concern is twofold: on one hand, the growing number of studies on EU policies has chiefly led to acknowledging the decisive role played by the Commission in setting the agenda and formulating European public policies (Christiansen 1996; Cini 1997; Cram 1999; Fouilleux 2003; Jourdain 1995; Nugent 1995; Peters 1992; Smith 1995); on the other hand, observations made from a more anthropological perspective looking at the new meanings ascribed to notions of administration and policy in Brussels, have revealed the specificity of EU institutions in comparison to existing administrative models (Abélès, Bellier and MacDonald 1993; Abélès and Bellier 1996; Bellier 1999).