Sophie Vanhoonacker

Sophie Vanhoonacker (BE) is Jean Monnet Professor and holds a special Chair in Administrative Governance in the Department of Politics at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Sophie Vanhoonacker holds a PhD from Leiden University (1999). She studied history (Catholic University of Leuven, 1984), European Studies (College of Europe, Bruges, 1985) and International Relations (Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1989). Her current research focuses on the role of bureaucracy in the European foreign policy process. She is particularly looking into the process of 'Brusselisation' or 'the steady enhancement of the Brussels-based decision-making bodies' in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

Prior to her position at Maastricht University Sophie Vanhoonacker was a faculty member of the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Maastricht, where she was part of the unit 'European Governance and Policy Processes' (1987-2001). At EIPA she was involved in the training of civil servants on policymaking in the EU and on the CFSP. In the period 1996-2001 she was involved in preparing EU Member States for the Presidency of the Council of the EU.