Table Of ContentPalgrave Studies in European
Political Sociology
Series Editors
Carlo Ruzza
Department of Sociology and Social Research
University of Trento
Trento, Italy
Hans-Jörg Trenz
Department of Media, Cognition & Communication
University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark
Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology addresses contempor-
fi
ary themes in the eld of Political Sociology. Over recent years, atten-
tion has turned increasingly to processes of Europeanization and
globalization and the social and political spaces that are opened by
them.Theseprocessescomprisebothinstitutional-constitutionalchange
and new dynamics of social transnationalism. Europeanization and
ff
globalization are also about changing power relations as they a ect
’
peoples lives, social networks and forms of mobility.
The Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology series addresses
linkages between regulation, institution building and the full range of
societal repercussions at local, regional, national, European and global
level, and will sharpen understanding of changing patterns of attitudes
andbehavioursofindividuals andgroups,the politicaluseofnew rights
fl
and opportunities by citizens, new con ict lines and coalitions, societal
interactions and networking, and shifting loyalties and solidarity within
and across the European space.
We welcome proposals from across the spectrum of Political Sociology
and Political Science, on dimensions of citizenship; political attitudes
and values;political communication and public spheres; states, commu-
nities, governance structure and political institutions; forms of political
participation; populism and the radical right; and democracy and
democratization.
More information about this series at
http://www.springer.com/series/14630
Didier Georgakakis
European Civil
Service in (Times of)
Crisis
A Political Sociology of the Changing Power
of Eurocrats
DidierGeorgakakis
DepartmentofPoliticalScience/EuropeanCentreforSociologyandPoliticalScience
(CESSP)
UniversitéParis1Panthéon-Sorbonne
Paris,France
TranslatedbyMarinaUrquidi
PalgraveStudiesinEuropeanPoliticalSociology
ISBN978-3-319-51791-9 ISBN978-3-319-51792-6(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-51792-6
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To Manue, Julie and Karine, and my students (former and future)
Acknowledgements
fi
This book gives an account of eld work and features papers, lectures
fl
and more generally, re ections spread over nearly 20 years. There are
therefore many people to thank. The very large number of colleagues
who agreed to review or comment on my work in one or another of the
stages are thanked in each chapter (I hope I have not forgot too many),
as well as the journals, in particular Actes de la Recherche en Sciences
’
SocialesandRevuefrançaisedadministrationpublique,whichagreedtolet
me use the material for Chapter 4 free of copyright.
IwouldalsoliketothankMarinedeLassalle.Notonlydidshekindly
authorize me to revise and translate the paper for Actes that we had
producedtogether(Chapter4)butshehasalsobeenaconstantsourceof
fi
encouragementandsupportinthepursuitofmy eldworkonEuropean
actors, particularly the EU civil servants, whenever our collective adven-
ture in building the Group of European Political Sociology between
2000 and 2007 in Strasbourg would leave us some time, as well as later,
whenIhadenteredtheInstitutUniversitairedeFrance.Manythanksto
mycolleaguesinthesetwoinstitutionsfortheirfrequentsupportaswell.
I would like to thank my colleagues of the European Centre for
Sociology and Political Science (CNRS, Paris 1, EHESS), especially its
two successive directors, Gisèle Sapiro and Jean-Louis Briquet for their
support. The research centre ensuing from the merging of two centres
created,onebyPierreBourdieuandtheotherbyMauriceDuverger,isa
vii
viii Acknowledgements
constantsourceofinspiration,aswellasallthegreatdiscussionswehave
there about the European Institutions. Being part of the centre also
openedthedoortotheExcellenceLaboratoryTEPSIS(Écoledeshautes
études en sciences sociales, Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne), which subsi-
dized the translation and has constantly encouraged me to speak and
write about Europe and its bureaucracies. My special thanks to its
multidisciplinary and high-level academic board for supporting this
book.
Lastly, I will never thank Marina Urquidi enough for her translation
ffi
of this book. Translation is always a di cult exercise, but more parti-
cularly in this case. Wishing to bring to an international and English-
speaking readershipa political-sociologybook inspired byBourdieu and
ff
dealing with the EU implies being at the crossroads of very di erent
fi
lexical elds and very often, to reach impossible balances. Throughout
fi
this demanding challenge, Marina largely con rmed her vocation as a
European and did the best that could be hoped for. I also thank her for
the intellectual stimulation that grew out of our discussions, many of
which went beyond the technical questions to deal with the political
issues involved in a translation, from fonction publique to civil service,
the State and the states, status and statutes, competences, competencies
and skills, which when moving from one language to another are
unquestionably a component at the core of the object of this book.
Many thanks, too, to Carolyn Ban, Jay Rowell and Andy Smith for
fi
their amicable contribution to the reviewing process in the nal stretch!
fi
My thanks, nally, to Carlo Ruzza and Hans-Jörg Trenz for having
proposed that I publish this work in their collection.
Contents
1 Introduction: Moving Pictures 1
–
2 A Contested Identity: Genesis of the Eurocrat Figure
ffi ff
Between Stigma and A rmation of a Di erentiated
Supranational Body 23
3 TheMakingofaStatusGroup:ReconsideringSocialization
to the European Institutions 53
4 Genesis and Structure of European Bureaucratic Capital:
ffi
Senior European Commission O cials 93
5 Soft Skills Versus Expertise and Knowledge: The Changing
Core Competencies of European Civil Servants 143
‘
6 ReformingEUOpenCompetitionsorHowthe Custodians
’
of Europe Now Mimic International Managers 173
7 How Domination Matters: New Internal Struggles and
Integrating European-Enlargement Newcomers 211
ix
x Contents
8 Both the Pilot and a Victim of Austerity? How the
’
European Commissions Administration Changed under
the Economic and Financial Crisis 255
9 Conclusion: Neoliberalized Neoliberalists? The Weakening
Sociological Foundations of a Pivot Group and European
Political Order 285
References 303
Index 325
