Who Works in EU Agencies and Why Does it Matter: Staff Backgrounds, Profiles and National Stereotypes

Despite the growing role of European Union (EU) agencies in EU governance, we still lack systematic empirical knowledge about their staff members (Benz et al., 2016). Yet these individuals are central to understanding how EU policies are implemented in a multi-level administration. Employees from EU agencies differ from officials in core EU institutions: they are not socialized within Brussels-based institutions, many come from national administrations, and hold temporary contracts (Egeberg & Trondal, 2017). This hybrid position may heighten their awareness of national differences and make them more inclined to use nationality-based cues to navigate their work environment, such as national stereotypes. Against this background, this paper aims to offer a double contribution to the literature: a systematic mapping of staff working across EU agencies and of the national stereotypes circulating among them. We ask the following research questions: Who are the staff members of EU agencies? What national stereotypes do they attribute to colleagues? How are these stereotypes related to staff members’ educational and professional backgrounds, their resources and position within the agency? Theoretically, the paper combines insights from EU sociology and social psychology. National stereotypes are understood as automatic cognitive shortcuts through which individuals attribute traits to social groups (Correll et al., 2010) based on their nationality. Integrating this concept with a sociological lens, we study stereotypes as embedded in an organizational setting. By examining the characteristics and profiles of the agencies’ staff, the paper also explores whether EU agencies constitute a distinct sub-field of the European bureaucratic (Eurocratic) field (Georgakakis & Rowell, 2013), in which national perceptions might play a specific role when employees are enacting the agency’s mandate. The analysis draws on an original observational survey conducted across 32 EU agencies (operational and regulatory) in January-March 2026. The survey collects socio-demographic data, information on positions within the agency, and open-ended descriptions of typical traits associated with colleagues from four selected nationalities – widely represented within EU agencies: Germany, France, Italy, and Romania. The findings contribute to ongoing debates on the multi-level dynamics of EU policymaking and implementation, as well as broader research in EU sociology and public administration. This paper is co-authored with Adina Akbik and Christina Toenshoff from Leiden University. Reference List Benz, A., Corcaci, Andreas, and Wolfgang Doser, J. (2016). Unravelling multilevel administration. Patterns and dynamics of administrative co-ordination in European governance. Journal of European Public Policy, 23(7), 999–1018. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2016.1162838 Correll, J., Judd, C. M., Park, B., & Wittenbrink. (2010). Measuring Prejudice, Stereotypes and Discrimination. In J. F. Dovidio, P. Glick, & M. Hewstone, The SAGE Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination (pp. 45–62). Sage Publications. https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/4913726 Egeberg, M., & Trondal, J. (2017). Researching European Union Agencies: What Have We Learnt (and Where Do We Go from Here)? JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 55(4), 675–690. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12525 Georgakakis, D., & Rowell, J. (Eds.). (2013). The Field of Eurocracy: Mapping EU Actors and Professionals. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137294708