Supranational Entrepreneurship Through the Administrative Backdoor: The Commission, the Green Deal and the CAP 2023–2027

Abstract

The Green Deal, the European Commission's current economic and environmental flagship initiative, demands policy change in many fields. One of them is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which has a history of complex and controversial reforms. This raises a classic question of EU studies: To what extent and under what conditions can the Commission act as a policy entrepreneur? Analysing its efforts to align the latest CAP reform with the Green Deal, this article shows that, whilst struggling to make an impact in the legislative arena, the Commission used its implementation powers to pressure member states to engage with the Green Deal in their national CAP plans. In doing so, it effectively blended hard and soft law to strengthen its position. The case offers evidence how Commission entrepreneurship can materialize even under adverse conditions.