| The object of this dissertation is to explore the role of the European Commission in EU development policy, and more in general in the EU policy-making process. Drawing on the leadership literature, I argue that the European Commission is able to play a leading role in the EU under three circumstances: (a) if an institutional entrepreneur places an issue on the agenda and then supports it in the Council; (b) if the European Commission is able to minimize the causes of its internal incoherence and inefficiency; (c) if the Council is receptive, which means that countries are searching for alternatives in a specific policy area, external circumstances impose that a decision must be taken, and no country has strong and intense preferences on the specific issue. This framework is applied to three key issues in EU development policy: boosting volume of aid, untying aid, and promoting a 'global public goods' agenda. |
