Third countries in EU agencies: Participation and influence

The EU’s practice of exporting its acquis to third countries is increasingly coupled with the integration of third countries in the work of the Union’s agencies. The reasons for including third countries vary, as do the forms and intensity of the cooperation. The aim of this study is to assess the possibilities for non-EU member states, in particular those that adopt and implement EU acquis in their national legal orders, to influence the content of the EU acquis via their involvement in the EU agencies. As a general conclusion, the bigger the stake of third countries in the internal market and other EU policies and the more extensive their commitment to the Union’s acquis, the larger is their potential impact in agencies and on the shaping of the acquis that they are bound to adopt and implement.