Current Administrative Reforms in the European Commission: When Management Values and Political Values Coincide

Early literature on the European Commission describes sharp separation between DGs, which acted not just as silos but as fiefdoms with different organizational cultures, including working styles, policy priorities, and even working language use. Budgeting decisions maintained the status quo, so that over time some DGs were significantly over- or under-staffed or resourced. The Kinnock reforms started to break down those traditional divisions, with increased stress on managerial values of efficiency and with staff mobility requirements.

Recent budget cuts increased the pressure for change. When the current Multiannual Financial Framework was put in place, funding activities from 2014-2020, it included the first significant cuts in total budget and staffing levels for the European Commission. Initial responses were minimal and self-protective. Over time, the need to demonstrate greater efficiency and cost saving, linked to a stronger presidency and new system of vice presidents of the Commission, led to a far more strategic allocation of resources and even a method for moving staff voluntarily across DGs to meet organizational needs.

The pressure to reduce “overhead” costs also led to centralization of many horizontal support functions, including auditing, information technology, communication, conference management, and logistics and to redesign of the Human Resources Function, increasing standardization of procedures supporting more strategic HR management. These reforms continue the process of breaking down historical cultural differences among DGs while responding to the managerial value of improving efficiency and reflecting the political value of increased centralization in both policy and in administration.