Four leaders, four decades: leadership and European parliament’s secretaries-general

ABSTRACT This article examines administrative leadership at the top of the European Parliament by exploring the role played by Secretaries-General. Employing an institutional approach, administrative leadership is defined as behaviour that shapes the institutional character of an organization, infusing it with values and missions. The article aims to understand the behaviours that constitute the administrative leadership of the Secretary-General in the European Parliament and whether these behaviours focus solely on administrative and management tasks or also encompass the political aspects of the European Parliament as an institution. Drawing on four high-level interviews with Secretaries-General who led the European Parliament’s administration from 1986 to 2022, the study reveals that administrative leadership exhibits an institutional character, focusing on strengthening the powers of the European Parliament through both management and involvement in tasks with a political dimension. Findings show that the institutional development of the European Parliament has been shaped by a collaborative effort between its political and administrative leaders. The conclusion underscores the necessity of studying political and administrative leadership together as public leadership to comprehend how the European Parliament leads within the European Union, particularly in addressing contemporary democratic challenges.