Centre Formation and the European Commission: A Research Note

ABSTRACT

The preceding decade has witnessed a boost in research on the European Commission (Commission). One central issue debated has been Commission centre formation, both what it entails, its sources, and potential implications. Centre formation in this literature entails the internal integration of government institutions, thus reinforcing intrainstitutional administrative hierarchies. Contemporary research, however, offers inconclusive results as regards the internal integration of the Commission administration. The main motivation for this research note is to show that seemingly inconclusive findings in contemporary Commission research might in fact be complementary. Contemporary literature reports that centre formation inside the Commission is primarily observed at the helm of the Commission hierarchy within the General Secretariat - however only marginally affecting everyday decision-making within Commission sub-units (primarily the policy DGs (ministries)). Competing observations of this kind might be considered complementary because competing behavioural logics tend to co-exist within the Commission administration, albeit embedded and layered within different organisational sub-units.