Administrative and Private Networks in European Governance: Coevolving or Competing? The Case of Energy and Banking

The Banking Union and the Energy Union as two more recent integration projects are high on the European Union’s (EU) political agenda, yet face considerable political contestation at member state level. The suggested workshop contribution analyses how such political contestation affects the role and operation of European Administrative Networks (EANs). To that end, it examines how EANs have unfolded over time, and to what extent they have been effective tools in implementation and enforcement of the EU acquis. Empirically, the focus is on the resolution pillar of the Banking Union and the infrastructure issues in electricity market integration. The paper engages in structured focused comparison across the two sectors based on document analysis, secondary literature and expert interviews. The key argument of the paper is that EANs frequently coevolve, and potentially compete, not only with centralised EU agencies and bodies, but also with European Private Networks (EPNs).