The EU food regulatory policy making: Indirect effects on the food chain governance

Chatzopoulou, Sevie (2011) The EU food regulatory policy making: Indirect effects on the food chain governance. [Conference Proceedings]

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Abstract

The perpetual expansion of the EU regulatory policy making, especially in the late 1980s, created new demands regarding the governance of these policies within the EU but also at the global level. This paper examines the specific case of the EU food chain regulatory framework and investigates its implications on the food chain governance. It specifically examines how the EU food chain regulatory framework emerged with the scope to ensure higher quality, healthy and safe food along with promoting innovation and the use of modern technologies which is also part of the Commission's "Better regulation‟ agenda. Based on the regulatory governance theories, the analysis reveals that the regulating of the food chain has a two fold effect on the modes of governance and organisation in the sector at the global level. Firstly, regulating the EU food chain (process and content - requirements and levels of application) directly determines the standards and the levels in the sector that they have to comply with or "what‟ (is regulated) and "who‟ (is regulated); and secondly the politics involved in regulating affects indirectly how those regulated (the "who‟) become interdependent and interconnected in new modes of governance.

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