ABSTRACT
The number of papers, articles and books on new form(s) of governance in the EU is growing each day. The Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) has often been considered as one of the best examples of such new form of governance. In relation to European-level objectives defined by the Council, OMC seeks to encourage Member States to exchange best practices, to learn from them and to transfer and adapt them to their national contexts, in order to improve their national policies and practices (de la Porte, 2001, p. 293). Benchmarking, respect for subsidiarity and adequate participation of diverse actors at different levels are central pillars of the OMC (at least in theory). These elements are in line with the ‘new governance’, based on participation and power sharing, multi-level integration, diversity and decentralization, deliberation, flexibility and revisability, experimentation and knowledge creation (Scott & Trubek, 2002, pp. 5-6).
