Edward Best

EU Governance

European institutions and decision-making processes; comparative regional cooperation and integration

Professional experience

Edward Best was an EIPA expert and an honorary Senior Fellow of Maastricht University. He specialised in European institutions and the political aspects of European integration, as well as comparative regionalism and the management of regional organisations. He has been responsible for successive framework contracts to provide training services to the EU institutions on European governance, and has given regular courses in the European Commission and EU agencies. He has been a consultant for the European Commission, the United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Helsinki Commission.

Edward continues to participate in EIPA contract activities.

Contributions

Approaching EU Policy-Making

Making European Policies Work – Multilevel Administration and Policy Integration

Direct and Participatory Democracy at Grassroots Level.

Best, E., Augustyn, M. and Lambermont, F. Direct and Participatory Democracy at Grassroots Level. (June 2011), Committee of the Regions of the European Union, Brussels.

The European Parliament and the Right of Initiative: Change Practice, Not Powers

The Parliamentary Dimension in EU Governance

The EU agenda and the right of initiative

More Mobility and Exchange With European Civil Service Will Facilitate Reform of French Civil Service

EIPA delivers hybrid seminar in Lisbon on the Parliamentary Dimension of the Portuguese Presidency

Books

Best, E. (2016) Understanding EU Decision-Making. (Cham: Springer).

Best, E. (2014) EU Law-Making in Principle and Practice. (London: Routledge) Publications Office of the EU.

Best, E., Christiansen, T., and P. Settembri (2008) (eds.) The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union. Continuity and Change. (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar).

Best, E. and Bossaert, D. (2002) (eds.) From Luxembourg to Lisbon and Beyond: Making the Employment Strategy Work. (Maastricht: EIPA).

Best, E., Gray, M. and Stubb, A. (2000) (eds.) Rethinking the European Union: IGC 2000 and Beyond. (Maastricht: EIPA). Also published in French as Repenser la Union Européenne: A la CIG 2000 et au-delà.

Integración centroamericana: la institucionalidad regional. (Washington D.C. & México D.F. : Inter-American Development Bank & United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 1998) (publication assumed by the IDB and ECLAC).

Best, E. (1987) US Policy and Regional Security in Central America. (London: IISS/Gower & New York: St. Martin’s Press).

Book chapters

Best, E. (2018) ‘Policy making in the European Union’ in M. Cini and N. Pérez-Solórzano Borragán (eds.) European Union Politics 6^th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming)

Best, E. and Christiansen, T. (2016) ‘Regionalism in international affairs’ in J. Baylis, S. Smith and P. Owen (eds.) The Globalization of World Politics 7^th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press) pp. 363-380.

Best, E. (2011) ‘Assessing Regional Governance: An Indicative Framework for Developing Indicators’ in P. De Lombaerde, R. Flores L. Iapadre and M. Schulz (eds.) The Regional Integration Handbook (London: Routledge) pp.1-23.

Best, E. (2009) ‘The European Integration Process: An Example for Other Regions?’ in Ott, A. and Vos, E. (eds.) Fifty Years of European Integration (The Hague: TMC/Asser) pp. 333-348.

Best, E., Christiansen, T. and Settembri, P. (2009) ‘The EU Institutions after Enlargement – Not Quite Business as Usual’ in Avery, G., Faber, A. and Schmidt, A. (eds.) Enlarging the European Union: Effects on the new member states and the EU’ (Brussels: TEPSA) pp. 112-124.

Best, E. (2008) ‘Widening, Deepening… and Diversifying: Has Enlargement Shaped New Forms of EU Governance?’ in Best et al, The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) pp.222-242.

Best, E. and Settembri, P. (2008) ‘Surviving Enlargement: How Has the Council Managed?’ in Best et al. The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) pp.34-53.

Best, E. and Settembri, P. (2008) ‘Legislative Output after Enlargement: Similar Number, Shifting Nature’ in Best et al. The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) pp. 183-204.

Best, E., Christiansen, T. and Settembri, P. (2008) ‘Introduction’ in Best et al. The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) pp.1-15.

Christiansen,T., Best, E. and Settembri, P. (2008) ‘Conclusion’ in Best et al. The Institutions of the Enlarged European Union (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) pp. 243-252.

Best, E. (2006) ‘Regional Integration and (Good) Regional Governance: Are Common Standards and Indicators Possible?’ in P. De Lombaerde (ed.), Assessment and Measurement of Regional Integration, (Routledge/Warwick Studies in Globalisation) pp.183-214.

Best, E. and Bossaert, D. (2002) ‘Introduction: Making the Employment Strategy Work’ in Best and Bossaert (eds.) From Luxembourg to Lisbon and Beyond. (Maastricht: EIPA) pp. 1-16.

Best, E. (2002) ‘Transparency and European Governance: Clearly Not a Simple Matter’ in V. Deckmyn (ed.) Increasing Transparency in the European Union? (Maastricht: EIPA) pp. 91-117.

Best, E. (2002) ‘The United Kingdom: From Isolation Towards Influence?’ in F. Laursen (ed.) The Amsterdam Treaty: National Preference Formation, Interstate Bargaining and Outcome. (Odense University Press) pp.359-378.

Best, E. (2000) ‘La sociedad civil y la integración regional: Experiencias europeas y perspectivas comparativas’ in Ciudadanía y Mundialización. La sociedad civil en los procesos de integración regional. (Madrid: CEFIR/CIDEAL/INVESP) pp. 133-155.

Best, E. (2000) ‘The Debate over the Weighting of Votes: The Mis-Presentation of Representation?’ in Best et al. Rethinking the European Union. (Maastricht: EIPA) pp. 105-130.

Best, E., Gray, M. and Stubb, A. (200)0) ‘Introduction: Rethinking the European Union?’ in Best et al. Rethinking the European Union. (Maastricht: EIPA) pp. 1-16.

Best, E. (1997) ‘Capacities for Regional Integration: a Conceptual Framework for Comparative Analysis’ in Hosli, M. and Saether, A. (eds.) Free trade agreements and customs unions. Experiences, challenges and constraints. (Brussels & Maastricht: European Commission TACIS & EIPA) pp. 51-78.

Articles

E. Best, ‘Legislative Procedures after Lisbon: Fewer, Clearer, Simpler?’, Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 15:1 (2008) pp. 85-96.

E. Best, ‘After the French and Dutch Referendums; What is to be done?’, Intereconomics 40:4 (2005) pp.1 80-184.

E. Best, S. Duke and P. Nicolaides, ‘Is the European Union Ready for Enlargement?’ Intereconomics 39:2 (2004) pp. 60-68.

E. Best, ‘Decision-Making and the Draft Constitution: Have We Really Cleaned Up Our Legal Acts?’ Intereconomics, 38:4 (2003) pp. 170-176.

E. Best, ‘The European Union After Nice: Ready or Not, Here They Come!’ Intereconomics, 2001/1 pp. 19-24.

E. Best, ‘Capacidades para la integración regional en Europa y en América Latina: un marco conceptual para el análisis comparativo’, Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas, No. 4 (1995) pp. 93-103.

E. Best, ‘The Painful Birth of the European Union’, Journal of European Studies, 3:1 (June 1995) pp. 13-54.

E. Best, ‘Sistemas Institucionales para la Integración Regional’, Integración Latinoamericana, No. 202 (julio 1994) pp. 11-33.

E. Best, ‘Latin American Integration in the 1990s: Redefinition Amid Uncertainty’, International Review of Administrative Sciences, 57:4 (December 1991) pp. 611-640.

E. Best, ‘An Alternative American Policy for Nicaragua’, Survival, 29:2 (March-April 1987) pp. 99-117.

Commissioned studies/reports

Studies for the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Mexico (principal consultant):

‘Diagnóstico de la institucionalidad regional centroamericana’ (LC/MEX/R.581/Rev.2, 1996).
‘Estrategias y opciones para el fortalecimiento y racionalización de la institucionalidad centroamericana’, (1997).
‘Perfiles de cooperación técnica para el fortalecimiento y racionalización de la institucionalidad centroamericana’, (1997).

EIPA study for the European Commission on the impact on Central America of completion of the single European market (in collaboration with FLACSO, San José, Costa Rica). 1992 and Central America: Impact and Issues (2 vols. 56 pp. + 318 pp.) (1991) Editor and author of the section: ‘Phytosanitary regulations’; ‘Other fruit and vegetables’.

Other

Best, E. ‘Politics, Legitimacy and Institutional Balance: What is the EU and Why is the Commission?’, Eipascope, 2014/1 pp.5-13.

Best, E. and Lange, S. ‘‘European elections and questions of legitimacy’, BEPA Monthly, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission, No. 74, May 2014.

Best, E. (2009), ‘Editorial: Lisbon Treaty – Karlsruhe Rules’, Intereconomics 44:4 pp.194-195.

Best, E. (2008) ‘The Assessment of Regional Governance: Principles, Indicators and Potential Pitfalls’. UNU-CRIS Working Paper W-2008/10, Bruges, United Nations University-Comparative Regional Integration Studies, 27pp.

Best, E. (2008) ‘Editorial: From Unity in Diversity to Variable Geometry?’ Intereconomics 43:4 pp.182-183.

Best, E. (2007) ‘Editorial: Why do we need to have a new treaty now?’ Intereconomics 42:2 pp. 62-63

Best, E. ‘Alternative Methods and EU Policy-Making: What Does “Co-Regulation” Really Mean?’ Eipascope, 2008/2, pp. 11-16.

Best, E. ‘The Lisbon Treaty: A Qualified Advance for EU Decision-Making and Governance’, Eipascope, 2008/1, pp. 7-12.

Best, E. ‘After the Constitutional Treaty: Reasoning rather than rushing’, Eipascope, 2007/1 pp. 7-10.

Best, E. (2005) ‘The 2005 UK Presidency: Beyond the British Question?’ SIEPS Report 2005: 2op, Stockholm: Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS).

Best, E. ‘In Search of the Lost Constitution: The EU between Direct Democracy and the Permissive Consensus’, Eipascope 2005/2 pp.5-13.

Best, E. ‘The European Institutions between Enlargement and the Constitution’, Eipascope 2004/3 pp. 2-7.

Jacobs, F. and Best, E. ‘Ready for the Future? The Impact of Enlargement on the European Parliament’, Eipascope 2004/3 pp. 14-19.

Best, E. ‘What is Really at Stake in the Debate over Votes?’, Eipascope, 2004/1 pp. 14-23.

Best, E. ‘Crossing the Bridge of Size: Reaching a Deal at Nice’, Eipascope, 2000/3 pp. 2-9.

Best, E. ‘Alternative Regulations or Complementary Methods? Evolving Options in European Governance’, Eipascope 2003/1 pp. 2-11.

Best, E. and Vanhoonacker, S. ‘The European Union After Laeken: A Convention, a Constitution, a Consensus?’ Eipascope 2002/1 pp. 2-6.

Best, E. ‘The Treaty of Nice: Not Beautiful, but It’ll Do’, Eipascope 2001/1 pp. 2-9.

Best, E. ‘Integration Challenges in Latin America’, Eipascope, 1993/2 pp. 2-6.

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