The Death of the European Agency for Reconstruction

Among many issues regarding the work and functioning of EU agencies, the termination of an agency is an important aspect to consider. The European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR), an EU agency that managed EU aid to the Western Balkans from 2001 to 2008, proved to be an efficient and effective agency in delivering aid. Although termination of any EU agency is a rare phenomenon, the EAR was terminated in 2008, despite its successful record. The termination of this highly successful agency stands as an example for the utility of putting termination theory into a larger framework of the existence of EU agencies, as scholarly literature has largely ignored the issue of termination in the work of the EU agencies. The EAR represented an institutional model of independence from politics and policy-making. The purpose of this paper is to assess the structure and operations of the EAR and reasons that led to its termination.