ABSTRACT
Civil servants from the various European Union (EU) member states are among the most ubiquitous and important players in European governance. Within the formal EU structures, they are involved in a myriad of Commission expert groups, Council working parties, and ‘comitology’ committees, as well as a range of advisory committees. In these various groups and committees, their roles vary from preparing decisions and giving advice to approving proposals on behalf of their political superiors and taking or implementing decisions. In addition, civil servants are active outside of these formal EU-related structures, either in independent networks of officials and regulators or in ad hoc contacts with their counterparts in other countries.
