Mapping EU agencies as political entrepreneurs

European Union (EU) agencies are ‘integral in ensuring that regulatory policies can be implemented coherently and consistently throughout the EU’ (Rittberger and Wonka 2012, 3). However, they do not have direct legal power to implement regulations (Busuioc 2013), but usually must rely on fostering their reputation and image among competent member state authorities, businesses, professionals, consumer groups and the media to gain authority. As Gehring and Krapohl (2007, 28) argue, agencies ‘Operate in highly politicized environments and the extent to which they manage to establish themselves as credible regulators will often be dependent on the manner in which they manage their relations with, and competing expectations from, the multiple political actors within their environment’. In short, agencies have to become political entrepreneurs.