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Conference EU Agencies as ‘Inbetweeners’? The Relationship between EU Agencies and Member States

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Over the years EU agencies have acquired an important place within the EU’s institutional landscape. They are part of a process of functional decentralisation within the EU executive, with agencies being seated all over the EU. They assist in the implementation of EU law and policy, provide scientific advice for both legislation and implementation, collect information, provide specific services and fulfil central roles in the coordination of national authorities in many policy fields, such as food and air safety, medicines, environment, telecommunications, disease prevention, border control, trademarks and banking. They may adopt legally binding and non-binding acts. Agencification of EU executive governance has thus become a fundamental feature of the EU’s institutional structure. Today the total number of EU decentralised agencies amounts to 37.
 

This two-day conference discusses the relationship between EU agencies and Member States. EU agencies are by their very nature, ‘interesting hybrids’, as they are institutionally, linked both with the EU institutions and the Member States and substantively, in their multiple tasks. Questions rise as to how the relation between EU agencies and Member States is shaped, which ultimately is of interest to the conceptual understanding of the EU’s shared or integrated administration. Questions, for example, arise as to how EU agencies operate in practice, together with the national authorities; in the field of migration for example, where the European Coastal and Border agency Frontex closely collaborates with the Greek authorities dealing the migrants coming into the EU borders. How are decisions being made and shared and who is made responsible? The conference is divided is six panels dealing with more conceptual understandings of the relationship between EU agencies and Member States, their relation in practice in the fields, of migration & data protection, banking & energy, aviation & fisheries, and issues of political and judicial accountability.

 

 

Programme

Printable detailled programme: printable version

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 

  • 09.30-10.15: Registration & coffee
  • 10.15-10.45: Book launch (The External Dimension of EU Agencies and Bodies)
  • 10.45-11.00: Welcome by Ellen Vos (Maastricht University)
  • 11.00-12.00: PANEL 1 - EU Agencies and the Composite Administration
  • 12.00-13.30: Lunch
  • 13.30-15.30: PANEL 2 - The Relation between EU Agencies and Member States: migration & data protection                   
  • 15.30-16.00: Coffee Break
  • 16.00-17.30 (parallel sessions): PANEL 3 - The Relation between EU Agencies and Member States: banking & energy
  • 16.00-17.30 (paralell sessions): PANEL 4 - The Relation between EU Agencies and Member States: aviation & fisheries

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBER

  • 09.30-11.00: PANEL 5 - EU Agencies and Member States: political & judicial accountability
  • 11.00-11.30: Coffee break
  • 11.30-13.00: PANEL 6 - EU Agencies and Member States: political & judicial accountability
  • 13.00-14.30: Lunch
  • 14.30-16.30: PANEL 7 - EU Agencies and Member States: political & judicial accountability - representatives and peer review
  • 16.30: Closing

 



 

 

 

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