‘New’ Governance in European Union Policy Making: Policy Innovation or Political Compromise in European Telecommunications?

Abstract

This article makes a contribution to research on soft or ‘new’ governance in EU policy
\nmaking by examining the recent history of telecommunications policy as a case study, a
\nsector hitherto not widely recognised for displaying this kind of governance. Training its
\nfocus on the process leading to the agreement of the latest iteration of the EU’s
\nElectronic Communications Regulatory Framework, the article finds strong evidence
\nthat soft governance has been used within hard governance legislative frameworks
\nprimarily as a tool of political compromise, in respect of the classic problem of securing
\na balance of regulatory power distribution between the national and EU level. Soft
\ngovernance employed in this way casts doubt over its ability to achieve openness,
\ncommon purpose, innovativeness and regulatory efficacy.