Why European Commissioners Matter

Résumé :

Discussions of the role European Commissioners play in European Union politicsare shaped by three powerful implicit assumptions. These posit a causal relationshipbetween a Commissioner’s behaviour and previous career, portfolio and nationalorigin. In addition, Commissioners are seen as exacerbating the fragmentation of theEuropean Commission as a whole. Based on an empirical study of eight Commis-sioners from the Delors II and the Santer colleges, this article challenges or reformu-lates these assumptions. In so doing, it also shows that sociologies of actors such asEuropean Commissioners ‘matter’ to the study of politics in the European Union.