ABSTRACT
Our contribution is exploring the question of the convergence of styles of administrative agents while implementing EU policies. There is work done on national administrative traditions and policy styles more generally, and there undoubtedly are patterns of organizing and doing things at the level of practical implementation of agencies (the European ‘street level bureaucrat’), but can we speak of specific styles of implementation? And have processes of European integration and Europeanization resulted in more similar (European) administrative styles in the member states? Actually, there is shockingly little empirical research on convergence of administrative implementation styles. Therefore, we took a more explorative approach, with the expectation that EU policies over the years have indeed influenced styles, scrutinizing empirical research about four policy fields: packaging waste, labour inspectorates, water management and nature protection. We describe processes of formalization, the changing responsibility and role of the state (and impact on centralization or decentralization), forms of pluralization and stakeholder involvement, and we conclude on patterns and trends we saw with regard to uniformity of institutional structures and styles.
