Conclusions: Towards a more informal EU?

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Abstract
In this special issue we have explored the interplay of formality and informality in the EU. The different contributions show that informality in EU policy making is multi-faceted and that it is not possible to make generalisations about such inter-play of formality and informality. Motives behind informality can be co-operative or conflictual, but the specific role informality plays within the institutional setting of the EU depends on the characteristics of the different policy domains, the strategic motives of the actors involved and the specific inter-play between policy levels. In this concluding article, we will answer the questions we raised in the introduction of this special issue. First of all, we will give an overview of the various opinions of the contributors on whether more informality can be observed or not. How do the contributors explain the renewed interest for informality in the EU? Is it justified by actual developments? How do they understand informality? Secondly, we will analyse the consequences of shifting relations between formality and informality for various actors involved in EU policy making. Finally, we will answer the question from a more normative point of view and argue what the EU could or should look like in the future in terms of informality. Who are the ''winners and losers'' of a shifting relationships between formal and informal practices and what consequences might this have for the legitimacy for an enlarged EU? Is There a Tendency Towards More Informality, and If So of What Kind? How do the different contributors in this special issue deal with informality and informal governance? Van Tatenhove, Mak and Liefferink develop an analytical framework to understand the dynamics of formal and informal practices in EU policy making. They believe that the ''staging of practices'' may help to better understand the forces behind the multi-level dynamic. Although they do not explicitly deal with the questions about the outcome of European politics in terms of formality and informality, their general reasoning suggests that the EU is heading towards more informality as a more or less direct result of the ongoing deepening,

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