ABSTRACT
Agencies are seen as ideal for managing complex and technical issues, given their high specialization and access to experts, and their being shielded from political influence. Their alleged distance from political influence allows them to take decisions based on technical considerations alone. However, this same distance raises difficulties for accountability, in the sense of holding the agencies to account. This chapter demonstrates the increasing role of one EU agency – (ENISA), prior to discussing the challenges that this raises with respect to accountability, and the part that the evolution of ENISA's governance structures may play in meeting such challenges. Next, the role of ENISA in connection with EU legislation that has developed over recent years in the areas of data protection, ePrivacy and cybersecurity, is detailed. An early challenge to ENISA's legal basis is then discussed.
