Policy making and commission appointment in the European Union.

Abstract

This paper presents spatial models of Commission appointment and EU policy making. The theory characterizes sets of effective Commissions, i.e. Commissions that can be appointed and can successfully propose their own ideal policies, and sets of successful proposals, i.e. proposals that can become EU policy. It also determines equilibrium EU Commissions and policies. The paper focuses on the Commission's role in EU policy making and discusses how recent institutional developments have effected its powers. It concludes that the Parliament's increased role in Commission appointment and policy making has limited the sets of effective Commissions and the sets of successful proposals.