The European Commission is an organization which has come to fascinate or repulse a range of national politicians, journalists and social scientists. This book investigates this organization's relationship to politics.

Andy Smith is Senior Research Fellow in Political Science at the CERVL, Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux. He has been working on three themes related to European integration: public policy-making; the college of the European Commission; and the effect of Europe on the daily life of the general public.

Introduction Andy Smith Part 1: Actors, Institutions and Interdependence 1. Doing politics and Pretending Not To:The Commission's role in distributing aid to Eastern Europe Cécile Robert 2. The Politics of Collegiality: The non-portfolio dimension Jean Joana and Andy Smith 3. The Secretary General of the European Commision, 1958-2003: The history of a singular institution Hussein Kassim 4. The Political Dynamics of the 'Parallel Administration' of the European Commision Jarle Trondal 5. The Invention of a Directorate General for Development (1958-75) Véronique Dimier 6. Institutionalizing Public Health in the European Commision: The thrills and spills of politicization Sébastien Guigner Part 2: The Media, the Commision and its Legitimacy 7. Was it Really just 'Poor Communication'?: Lessons from Santa Commision's resignation Didier Georgakakis 8. The Politics of the Commision as an Information Source Olivier Baisnée 9. Advertising Europe: The production of public information by the Commision François Forêt 10. Publicising the Euro: A case of interest maximisation and internal fragmentation of the Commision Jeannette Mak 11. Where is he now? The Delors Legacy Helen Drake Conclusion Andy Smith