Networks and agencies for enforcement in the European Union. Comparative case studies in civil aviation safety policy and public health (by Laurens van Kreij)

Laurens’ PhD research focuses on developing a framework for the delegation of tasks for enforcement of European Union (EU) policies. By default, the EU member states enforce EU law vis-à-vis citizens and businesses. Some policies however, are (also) enforced through EU networks of national authorities, whereas EU agencies have enforcement tasks and powers in other policy fields. It is unclear why the EU legislator differentiates between these various levels of enforcement, and it is equally unclear which type of enforcement is more effective in a given policy context or for a particular policy goal. This research project develops design principles to help policy makers make a better choice, and contribute to an unexplored field of building a theory on EU enforcement. It does so by investigating networks and agencies in four policy fields (civil aviation safety regulation, civil aviation incident investigation, medical devices regulation and medicines regulation) through a multidisciplinary prism supported by empirical data.

Researcher

Mr. Laurens van Kreij – L.vanKreij@uu.nl

Utrecht University