EU decision-making

EU decision-making

EU decision-making covers the ways in which the EU institutions adopt the laws and other policy instruments that shape most aspects of Europeans’ lives. National actors, both public and private, need to understand who does what, and how they can participate in these processes.

EIPA’s courses on EU decision-making explain EU procedures with both analytical depth and insights provided by EU practitioners.

They look in detail at how the European Commission develops legislative proposals, how these proposals are then discussed within the European Parliament and the Council, and how interinstitutional negotiations then produce a compromise agreement that becomes an EU law. They explain how the European Commission adopts implementing acts (through the ‘comitology’ procedures that have been a longstanding specialism of EIPA) and the newer delegated acts. They may also cover decision-making in EU economic governance and external action.

Our offer aims to introduce participants to the informal as well as the formal dimensions, the practice and the politics as well as the principles. The courses are often tailored to clients’ specific interests and can include case studies on issues of topical concern.

Our regular open course ‘Understanding EU Decision-Making: Principles, Procedures, Practice’ brings together people from different countries and backgrounds to go through the processes using examples and exercises, and to share their experiences and concerns. Practical insights are provided by EU and national officials.

A range of courses are delivered for the EU institutions, bodies and agencies. Many are developed for individual partners, notably the Secretariat-General of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council Secretariat, the European Economic and Social Committee and European Committee of the regions, and several EU Agencies. Others are delivered on interinstitutional basis through the European School of Administration.

We have delivered activities for a wide variety of national and non-state actors. In 2021, for example, we delivered decision-making courses for clients including the Irish Department of Transport, the Swedish Council for Negotiation and Cooperation, and the Serbian National Institute of Public Administration.