Expert groups in the European Union: A sui generis phenomenon?

This paper challenges the assumption that the European Union's (EU) unique multi-level governance system leads to distinct policy advisory structures. It focuses on the expert groups that advise the European Commission and examines how they are used in the policy process. Theoretically the relationship between the European Commission and its expert groups is conceptualised as determined by resource dependencies: the EU Commission uses expert groups to acquire expertise, political support and consensus. The assumption that the EU Commission uses its expert groups for multiple purposes beyond the technocratic acquisition of advice is confirmed by a quantitative analysis of their development over time and a qualitative analysis of their use in legislative drafting. These findings reflect those from studies undertaken at other levels of government, which indicates that the role of expert groups in the EU policy process is not a phenomenon sui generis.