The quiet transformation of the EU Commission cabinet system

Although cabinets in the European Commission have attracted considerable interest, scholarly attention has mainly focused on their composition and influence. How the status of cabinets or the relations between them have changed over time, and how cabinets have been affected by changes to the wider institutional environment, has gone largely unexamined. This article takes a step towards filling that gap. It argues that, despite apparent stability in the functions that cabinets perform, the cabinet system has undergone a quiet transformation. A new differentiation has created hierarchical relations within the cabinet system, with implications for policy coordination and output. Using historical institutionalist theory, the article shows that Commission cabinets have been affected less by reforms addressed directly at them and more by internal rule change aimed at other parts of their institutional environment.

Automated summary

This article examines the changes in the cabinet system of the European Commission, highlighting the quiet transformation that has taken place despite apparent stability in the functions they perform. It discusses the creation of hierarchical relations within the cabinet system and its implications for policy coordination and output. The article argues that these changes have been influenced more by internal rule changes aimed at other parts of the institutional environment than by direct reforms targeted at the cabinets themselves.