Offices in Brussels representing the interests of regional actors in the EU have carved out a niche position within Europe's expanding multi-level political system. They are now the most visible indicators of the growing role played by EU regions. How can we understand their contribution to EU governance? What do they deliver to Europe's regions?

'There has long been much interest in the representative offices established by regional governments in Brussels to influence EU policy. But until now there has been no systematic analysis of why they do what they do, and how they compare with other forms of external political representation. Carolyn Rowe fills the gap, pinpointing the purposes of regional representation in Brussels, and raising questions about the monopoly on external representation that nation-states and their embassies have traditionally claimed, but also about the scope for regional governments to emulate private sector methods of lobbying. This book is a really important contribution not just about regions and the EU, but also the subtle shifts in what statehood means now that regional governments routinely act beyond the state's boundaries. Highly recommended.'

• Charlie Jeffery, Professor and Head of School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, UK

'The regional question re-emerged in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s with the upgrading of structural funds and the setting up of the Committee of the Regions. Carolyn Rowe's book examines how this led to the establishment of regional representation offices in Brussels and what impact these have had. Rowe combines a wide knowledge of the existing research and literature in this field with careful and up to date empirical analysis. Her gives us an excellent and balanced survey of the question and is to be strongly recommended'

• John Loughlin, Fellow and Tutor, Director of Studies in Politics, Psychology and Sociology, St Edmund's College, Cambridge, UK

Autorentext
CAROLYN ROWE is Lecturer in Politics at the Aston Centre for Europe, Aston University, UK. She has advised the EU Committee of the Regions on multi-level governance issues and provided research for the drafting of the body's Mission Statement. She is co-editor of the book German Federalism in Transition: Reforms in a Consensual State (2009).

Inhalt
Regional Representations in the EU: An Introduction Regional Representations in the EU: A Framework for Analysis Regional Offices and the Domestic Politics of Europe The Activity Profile of Regional Representations in the EU Resourcing and Organisational Principles Strategic Direction and Accountability Conclusion