Comitology committees in the enlarged European Union

The EU’s administrative systems relies to a considerable extend on the delegation of executive tasks to the European Commission, which is in turn controlled in this task through a plethora of implementing committees – the so-called ‘comitology’ system. Considering the centrality of comitology for the implementation of EU legislation, the paper addresses the question whether the ‘big bang enlargement’ of 2004/2007 has had a significant impact on comitology, and whether any observable changes to the comitology system can be related to the arrival of the new member states. The paper first recalls some of the fundamental aspects of the comitology system, distinguishing between formal and informal arrangements, and highlighting the major changes which have taken place. It then looks at the impact of the 2004/2007 enlargement on the comitology system, analysing how implementing committees have been working and how the new members are adapting. By way of conclusion, the paper examines the main implications of these changes for the system as a whole and considers the most important challenges for the future.