The Social Logic of the European Field of Power

This article explores the workings of the European field of power through the Dalli case. The alleged bribery of a European commissioner reveals how large European public relations firms operate as a go-between between private corporations and EU institutions. Drawing from the documentary evidence of this case, the paper argues that the European field of power is a strongly heteronomous “weak field” that is torn apart between, on the one hand, the national and the European and, on the other hand, the public and the private. I conclude that, in the current set-up, the private dominates the public, so that European institutions are very receptive to the interests of corporations.