Abstract
Literature on European Union (EU) policymaking has largely neglected how European institutions, such as the Commission, learn from experiences from the implementation of EU policies, and how this practical expertise enters the policy process. In this chapter, we explore how learning relationships between domestic implementing agencies and the Commission are shaped. The case of the 2013 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) shows that cooperation between implementing agencies in a network organisation contributed to their certification by the Commission and the establishment of a channel for frequent interactions. The following dynamic relationship was further deepened by the ability of the actors to find mutual objectives over time. It was most fruitful in fine-tuning newly introduced policy instruments, only after the finalisation of the content of the basic regulations.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Pieter Zwaan for the helpful discussions on earlier versions of this contribution. I also express my gratitude to the editors of this book for their very constructive comments and opportunity to contribute to this edited volume, and the interviewees for their participation and enthusiasm. Finally, my thanks go out to the discussants of my work in progress at the policy learning workshop in London, and the 1st Annual Radboud Political Science PhD Workshop.
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Appendix 6.1: List of Interviews
Appendix 6.1: List of Interviews
Interviewee code | Official capacity | Organisation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
Interview 1 | Dick Oele (NL), Senior Policy Advisor Implementation Frameworks of the Common Agricultural Policy RVO | Dutch Paying Agency | May 2015 |
Interview 2 | Hans van Ek (NL), Senior Policy Advisor RVO | Former Secretary to the Learning Network of EU Paying Agencies | January 2016 |
Interview 3 | Ana Brncic (HR), Policy Officer | Unit D2—Greening, Cross-Compliance and POSEI), DG AGRI | June 2016 |
Interview 4 | Nicolas Clisson (FR), Head of Unit | Unit 3—Implementation Support monitoring, IACS and LPIS, DG AGRI | June 2016 |
Interview 5 | Rudolf Mögele (DE), Deputy Director-General | DG AGRI | June 2017 |
Interview 6 | Anders Egonson (SE), Director of the Swedish Board of Agriculture | Swedish Paying Agency, Current Chairman of Learning Network | August 2017 |
Interview 7 | Michael Cooper (UK), Director UK Co-ordinating Body September 2017 | British Paying Agency, Former Chairman of Learning Network | September 2017 |
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Polman, D. (2018). Learning from Practical Experience: Implementation Epistemic Communities in the European Union. In: Dunlop, C., Radaelli, C., Trein, P. (eds) Learning in Public Policy. International Series on Public Policy . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76210-4_6
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