The Law and Governance of the EU Public Ethics System: An Institutional Perspective

by Alberto Alemanno (Editor)

Overview

The questions at the core of this volume are the following: What are the ethics and integrity rules for the EU? How do they score compared to the integrity frameworks existing at the Member States’ level and in other democracies? How do we design these rules and ensure their enforcement in the EU? How do we improve the enforcement of EU integrity standards? Can an EU ethics system contribute to preventing or mitigating unethical conduct within the Union thus improving its democratic legitimacy? In addressing these questions, this edited volume provides a critical analysis of the existing 'EU ethical framework' while contextualising it within the unique transnational setting that characterises the EU public administration and its various institutions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031803710
Publisher:	Springer Nature Switzerland
Publication date:	04/23/2025
Series:	Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alberto Alemanno is Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law at HEC Paris, France, and a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. His research focuses on the democratization of the European Union and the role of citizens in EU integration at the level of agenda-setting, policy formation and law enforcement. He has established and leads The Good Lobby, a nonprofit whose mission is to equalize access to power, by enhancing the advocacy capacity of civil society while making corporate lobbying more ethical, responsible and sustainable.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Law and Governance of the EU Public Ethical System.- Chapter 2: The Law of the EU Public Ethical System.- Chapter 3: Ethics and Governance in the European Union.- Chapter 4: Reform-related conflictual dynamics between democratic political legitimacy and ethical administrations in EU institutions and international organisations.- Chapter 5: The European Commission and its ethical framework.- Chapter 6: The European Parliament and EU Ethics.- Chapter 7: The European Ombudsman and EU Ethics: From a horizontal to a vertical contribution.- Chapter 8: The European Court of Auditors and the EU Ethical Framework.- Chapter 9: An historical institutionalist account of the reform of the EU’s ethics system: the case of the interinstitutional ethics body.- Chapter 10: Ethics, Integrity, and Lobbying: Why & How to Modernise Government Affairs Regulation in the European Union.- Chapter 11: The varying levels of EU ethics: between an ethics paradigm and legitimacy mechanisms through participatory democracy.- Chapter 12: Strengthening Integrity: Whistleblower Protection as a Pillar of Ethical Governance in the EU.- Chapter 13: The EU Interinstitutional Body for Ethical Standards: A Preliminary Evaluation.- Chapter 14: The external dimension of the EU Public Ethical System: Anti-corruption in the EU’s enlargement and neighbourhood policies.- Chapter 15: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” in the EU Internal Market: Foreign Influence and Its Regulation.- Chapter 16: Foreign Interferences in the EU Political System: The pursuit of equilibrium against an elusive threat.- Chapter 17: Strategically ethical? The shift in the governance of the EU’s humanitarian aid policy.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Alberto Alemanno has done a great public service in bringing together academics and researchers to consider EU ethics from a multitude of angles in this book. Only by subjecting the EU ethics framework in its entirety to rigorous examination can we systemically address its weak points. This impressive volume should be a guide towards a more preventative and innovative approach to integrity matters. It is required reading not only for EU scholars but for all those who want to ensure that the European Union continues to develop from a standpoint of integrity and with the public interest at its core.” (Emily O’Reilly, European Ombudsman)

“This is an authoritative, accessible and timely contribution covering a wide range of relevant current challenges that beset efforts at ethics governance at the European level, including AI, disinformation, revolving door practices, and rule of law backsliding.” (Maarten Hillebrandt, Utrecht University, The Netherlands)

“As this volume shows, Alberto Alemanno is one of the most influential voices on lobbying, integrity, and the future of European democracy with a remarkable ability to conduct thorough research and deliver incisive analysis having a lasting impact on Brussels' political landscape, particularly in the area of public integrity, participation and EU democratic reform.” (Daniel Freund, MEP)

“This is the first book to comprehensively study the law and governance of the EU public ethical system for both an academic and practitioners’ audience. It should be read, studied and understood by any policymaker in Europe and citizen who cares about public integrity within and across the continent.” (Nick Aiossa, Director of Transparency International EU)