Committee governance after the enlargement of the EU: The institutionalisation of cooperation within the Social Protection Committee. European Political Economy Review No. 6 (March 2007), pp. 53-73

Specialised committees form an important part of the policy-making process in the European Union. After the 2004 enlargement of the EU, the institutional setup of these committees and the practice of 'committee governance' have been considerably challenged. The Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) is a mode of governance in which the work of expert committees is essential. Open and consensus-oriented discussions in committee meetings are regarded as a precondition of the success of the OMC and as a basis of its legitimacy. However, with ten new member states joining OMC committees, the institutional conditions of discussions change. This article provides a discursive conceptual framework for analysing the undergoing changes, and applies it to the case of the Social Protection Committee