Independent Authorities Within the Framework of the European Union. Structural Shifts in the State Society Relationship in Greece

Independent Authorities are a relatively recent phenomenon in the legal orders of European countries. The creation of the Independent Authorities marks a process in which the State is neutralized, withdrawn, and rendered politically irresponsible, from a number of policy areas, which, due to their technical complexity are entrusted to the Independent Authorities. In essence, they concern a redefined model of modern public administration that works towards further protecting the fundamental rights of the individual and the citizen. Independent Authorities are becoming necessary in critical areas such as the proper functioning of free competition. The guarantee of independence in their action is directly traceable to EU law, irrespective of their parallel foundation in national law. The methodological tool chosen in this study was content analysis of the basic regulatory texts of the European Union, namely the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The contribution and benefit of this study lies in the finding that the emergence of Independent Authorities institutionalizes the transformation of the role of nation states from centralized and interventionist political actors to decentralized, regulatory arbitrators of conflicts that arise within civil society.