‘Yes, Commissioner’: The Politics of Advising within the European Commission

Present-day political executives have generally two types of ‘in house’ advisers working in order to accommodate the advisory needs of modern governments: political advisors and civil servants. Likewise, European commissioners rely on the advice of their heads of cabinet and ‘permanent’ senior civil servants. Given their pivotal position in the power structure of the contemporary EU Commission a more systematic appraisal is needed to provide further detailed understanding of the distinct advisory roles the two categories of advisers play in the executive. Drawing on interview data, this article describes how special advisers and senior civil servants at top of the EU Commission differ in terms of the gist of their advice, the arenas they are active in, their appointment and responsibilities, and how they converge in terms of backgrounds and experience. The comparison of the two main advisers serving the Commissioner, show that both play distinct roles, but that their advisory work has evolved from worlds apart to worlds aligned.