European Union Committee System
The European Union Committee System is an informal category of committees involved in the processing of European Union legislation.Overview
The committees, which are active in different phases of the EU legislative process, include Commission expert groups, Council working parties, and comitology committees. The different committees are chaired by different institutions usually the European Commission or Council of the European Union and include different kind of members, ranging from public to private actors.
Also involved in the European Union Committee System are European Parliament committees and committees associated with the European External Action Service.
Issues surrounding the European Union Committee System include their transparency, since some of the committees described above are informal yet quite powerful in shaping and deciding legislation. Since the late 1990s, an increasing amount of attention has been placed on the committee system in order to shine light on their operation, mandate, and impact on European legislative outcomes.
