Access of Experts: Information and EU decision making

Who provides the European Union with information? This paper examines patterns of participation in the large expert group system under the European Commission. We explore competing propositions about the character of the Commission’s information system, and test four hypothesis about what affects participation in the EU expert group system. We separate between three kinds of information providers: scientists, societal actors and government officials. The empirical section of the paper builds upon an analysis of a data set covering all of Commission expert groups (N=1237). Although scientists, and interest groups, industries and NGOs are prevalent information providers for the Commission, we show that the informational foundation is strongly biased towards officials from national administrations. We argue that these distinct patterns of participation increase the ability of the Commission to anticipate reactions to its proposals and initiatives