ABSTRACT
The theory of public choice maintains that politicians and public officials derive utility from the exercise of power, both as an end in itself and as a means to raise their prestige and remuneration. Jacques Delors, as a French socialist, probably believes in centralization. It is well known that he had a difficult time in the meetings of the Delors Committee. After the publication of the committee report, the president's position shifted considerably toward the views of the Bundesbank council. The Delors Report quite explicit about the aim: The completion of the internal market will result in a marked easing of the overall burden of regulation for economic agents, but for the Community institutions it will mean a substantial addition to their executive and policing functions. The Delors Report can be explained by public choice theory but it does not make use of it.
