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.

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