The European Administrative Space

The notion of a European Administrative Space (EAS) is prominently used in academia and political practice. Short of a genuine European Union (EU) competence over member state administrations, the concept of a European Multilevel Administration (MLA) is often applied to capture the networked actor constellations and variable coordination modes that underpin EU policy-making. After sketching out the evolution of the EAS terminology and its different uses, the chapter provides an overview of the most prominent research topics that focus on different levels and procedures that mark the EAS. Even though the European Commission serves as a hub in the MLA, the more elusive EAS term remains prominent, given the perpetuated polycentricity and split of administrative authority and tasks that mark EU policy-making.