Governing Education Policy in Europe

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of the European arena and actors in education policy-making at the European and the national level. The task of defining, and even describing, the complex patterns of the governance within the European institutions is a challenging one. The governance and government of the European institutions are complex, contingent and often contested (Richardson, 2005: 11; Chryssochoou, 2002: 756). The role of European institutions in this policy arena has also varied hugely, not only over time, but also across policy areas and across institutions; the rules governing European environmental policy can therefore be very different from those in the educational arena.