Balancing Expertise and Legitimacy: The EFSA and the EEA in the Governance of EU Sustainability

At the intersection of expertise and democracy, EU sustainability governance depends on the work of its agencies. This paper contrasts the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), whose scientific opinions carry normative influence, with the European Environment Agency (EEA), which provides descriptive evidence and analyses. Framed by theories of epistemic democracy, the study examines how both institutions balance autonomy, accountability and stakeholder participation. Despite structural asymmetries, EFSA and EEA perform complementary functions, combining normative authority with empirical knowledge to strengthen the coherence and democratic legitimacy of EU sustainability governance.