Accompanying Expertise Provision to the European Parliament
Modern evidence-based policy making relies on independent high-quality expertise. As part of a pilot project, ALLEA closely cooperates with the Policy Departments of the European Parliament – responsible for providing policy expertise, research and advice for the bodies of the EP – by identifying scholars from member academies and beyond to scientifically support and accompany both the legislative and non-legislative work of parliamentary committees.
“Accompanying Expertise” is a novel approach to delivering such policy expertise within the European Parliament. It aims to provide more relevant, timely and tailored support to the work of parliamentary committees, while ensuring the highest academic quality standards.
It offers ad-hoc expertise that is responsive to the immediate needs of committees and complements traditional formats, especially comprehensive studies. The approach is designed to ensure that the expertise provided is not only of excellent quality but also delivered at the right time to inform decision-making processes both efficiently and effectively.
The introduction of “Accompanying Expertise” is expected to enhance the overall quality and impact of policy expertise provided to EU Members, ensuring that parliamentary work is informed by the best available evidence and expert input.
Key aspects of “Accompanying Expertise” include:
- Timeliness and Relevance: Expertise is closely aligned to the committees’ work, schedules and priorities, particularly during the drafting, amendment and negotiation stages of reports, to ensure that the information is current and directly applicable to the matter at hand.
- Integration with Committee Work: The expertise is intertwined with committee activities, with a focus on supporting Rapporteurs and Shadow Rapporteurs dealing with a specific file and is based on a regular planning exercise that identifies priority files requiring specific support.
- Close Cooperation: There is a close structured collaboration between Policy Department staff and experts and relevant key stakeholders throughout all stages of expertise provision.
- Flexibility: The approach allows for quicker and more tailored ad-hoc expertise, with the possibility of including optional products to address specific, small-scale and immediate expertise needs.
ALLEA Contact
Matthias Johannsen
Executive Director
johannsen@allea.org
+49 (0)30 206 066-501
