The Programming Cycle and the Annual Activity Report: The EU’s Administrative Changes as Seen Through the Lenses of the Kinnock Reform Tools

The strategic planning and programming dimension of the Kinnock reform has brought many changes to the Commission’s practices and culture. The management instruments introduced by this reform enable us to deal with the centralisation process, administrative relations, and the importance of controls. Through the analysis of the documents provided in the chapter, the author argues that there are a few lessons that can be learned. First, they indicate the growing significance of the Commission’s central services and a centralisation within the Secretariat-General. Second, they demonstrate the growing importance of quantification that results from the adoption of New Public Management doctrines. Ultimately, the chapter provides an understanding of the changing paradigms and culture of the European Commission and the links between management and politics.