The role of experts in policy design: transcoding strategies in the making of the Water Framework Directive

The policy design literature has acknowledged that policy design is not merely a technocratic process but also a politically charged moment. The role of experts in this phase of the policy process remains unclear or is often described as limited to technical support and policy advice. Experts involved in EU policy design in particular, such as consultants, staff from the Joint Research Centre or national expert delegates, are active in providing technical support and policy advice, but the political and strategic nature of their work still needs recognition. Looking at the design of the Water Framework Directive, we argue that experts can exert agency on this process by using so-called transcoding strategies in two different ways: bricolage (i.e. assembling scattered information and adding new elements) and packaging (e.g. delaying decisions, excluding certain information), to entrench certain ideas and requirements in the legal text. We further reflect on how the making of the Water Framework Directive still holds relevance to understand the role of experts in policy design and environmental change.