Concerns over the European Commission’s use of expert groups are misplaced

The European Commission has set up a number of expert groups to aid the development of European policies. As John Moodie writes, a balance is generally required between the gains in effectiveness and efficiency which expertise can provide for policymakers, and the democratic implications of relying too heavily on experts in the European policy process. He argues that while there are legitimate concerns over the use of Commission expert groups, there are adequate checks and balances in place to provide democratic safeguards.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Internal Market and Services: Expert Groups http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/internal_market/expert-groups/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/ http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/

Alter-EU: Balanced expert groups http://www.alter-eu.org/balanced-expert-groups

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