CIS The European Commission and Its Legislative Activity – Not as Integrationist and Autonomous as Believed

The European Commission and its legislative activity – not as integrationist and autonomous as believed by Stefanie Bailer1 For decades the possible bureaucratic and legislative influence of the European Commission has interested scholars of EU studies (Hooghe 2002; Pollack 1997). Yet, few empirical studies are known about the sources and determinants of influence of the Commission in legislative affairs apart from case studies (Cini 2000; Schmidt 2000). This paper presents analyses of qualitative and quantitative data to investigate the resources and opportunities leading to the actual legislative success of the Commission. I demonstrate that the influence of the Commission depends on its ability to place a proposal close to the opinion median of the member states, and on external opportunities such as the desire to change the status quo. The Commission's ability to place a proposal close to the opinion median of the Council is dependent on the Commission's expertise and their experience. I conclude that the work of the Commission is far more dependent on the member states than anticipated by neofunctionalists