European Agencies Law and Practices of Accountability

European agencies have been created at a rapid pace in recent years in a multitude of highly pertinent and sensitive fields ranging from pharmaceuticals and aviation safety to chemicals or financial supervision. These bodies, meant to operate at arm's length from political control, have real power and their opinions and decisions can have a direct impact on individuals, regulators and member states. Given the powers wielded by the agencies, who is responsible forholding these non-majoritarian actors to account? Is the growing concern surrounding agency accountability 'much ado about nothing'or are we faced with the threat of a powerful and unaccountable bureaucracy? This is precisely the question that this book seeks to answer. The bookexamines how the accountability system of European agencies operates both formally as well as in practice, through an investigation of both the legal provisions in place as well as their de facto implementation.

Madalina Busuioc is an Assistant Professor at the Amsterdam Centre of European Law, where she has worked since 2009. She received her doctorate from Utrecht University in 2009 (cum laude).
She has published both in law and public administration and is the author of numerous international book contributions as well as articles in journals including the European Law Journal, the Journal of European Public Policy and Public Administration.