Tracing scientisation in the EU Commission’s expert group system

Abstract

This study traces the sweeping claim of a “scientisation” of EU governance, that is a growing authority of research-based knowledge within modern policymaking, by zooming in on the EU Commission’s expert group system, and its “high level groups” in particular. With new quantitative and qualitative data that cover the period between 2005 and 2017, the study assesses whether alleged scientisation pressures are translated into actual patterns of participation and into modes of committee governance, and how this has changed over time. The study does not find signs of a substantial scientisation of the membership structure and this contrasts with the numbers of the official expert group register. Nonetheless, the considerable authority of epistemic claims seems to leave its mark on the management of the expert group system, i.e. the groups’ mandate framings, the selection of chairpersons and committee member labelling practices.