Australia Canada France Administrative law in France refers to
autorité administrative indépendante (AAI) or Independent Administrative Authorities. They tend to be prominent in the following areas of public policy; • Economic and financial regulation • Information and communication • Defence of citizens' rights Independent Administrative Authorities in France may not be instructed or ordered to take specific actions by the government.
Germany Greece The
General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace (
Greek: Γενική Γραμματεία Μακεδονίας-Θράκης), previously
Ministry for Macedonia and Thrace (Greek: Υπουργείο Μακεδονίας-Θράκης) is a government agency of the
Hellenic Republic that is responsible for the
Greek regions of
Macedonia and
Thrace.
Iceland India The term
agency in India has several meanings; for example, the
Cabinet and the parliament Secretariat describes itself as a "
nodal agency for coordination amongst the ministries of the Govt. of India". Most notably as an international feature, what appear to be independent agencies (
or apex agencies) include some that have active roles for Ministers: such as, the
National Security Council, the
Medical Council of India, the
Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and the
NITI Aayog, which is chaired
ex officio by the Prime Minister.
Netherlands In the Netherlands, an agency () is a part of a
government ministry with its own management, budget, and financial administration, separate from the ministry to which it belongs. The
minister retains full control of an agency and has full
ministerial responsibility for its activities.
Russia Russia has had many government agencies throughout its history. The
USSR had the secretive
KGB. Today, Russian government agencies such as the
FSB,
FSO, and the
GRU use
Spetsnaz or other masked operators for any missions. Other organizations include
Kremlin and presidential security.
Sweden The Government agencies in Sweden are
State controlled organizations who act independently to carry out the policies of the
Government of Sweden. The
Ministries are relatively small and merely policy-making organizations, allowed to control agencies by policy decisions but not by direct orders. This means that while the agencies are subject to decisions made by the Government, Ministers are explicitly prohibited (so-called ban on
ministerstyre) from interfering with the day-to-day operation in an agency or the outcome in individual cases as well. In addition to the State and its agencies, there are also local government agencies, which are extensions of
municipalities and
county councils.
United Kingdom Agencies in the United Kingdom are either
executive agencies answerable to government ministers or
non-departmental public bodies answerable directly to
parliament or the devolved
assemblies of the United Kingdom. They are also commonly known as
Quangos. Agencies can be created by enabling legislation by the
Parliament of the United Kingdom,
Scottish Parliament or the
Welsh Parliament.
United States The
Congress and
President of the United States delegate specific authority to government agencies to
regulate the complex facets of the modern American
federal state. Also, most of the 50
U.S. states have created similar government agencies. Each state government is similar to the national government, with all but one having a bicameral legislature. The term "government agency" or "administrative agency" usually applies to one of the
independent agencies of the United States federal government, which exercise some degree of independence from the President's control. Although the heads of independent agencies are often appointed by the government, they can usually be removed only for cause. The heads of independent agencies work together in groups, such as a commission, board or council. Independent agencies often function as miniature versions of the
tripartite federal government with the authority to
legislate (through the issuing or promulgation of regulations), to
adjudicate disputes, and to
enforce agency regulations. Examples of independent agencies include the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC),
Federal Reserve Board,
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A broader definition of the term "government agency" also means the
United States federal executive departments that include the President's
cabinet-level departments and their sub-units. Examples of these include the
Department of Energy (DOE) and the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is a bureau of the
Department of the Treasury. Most federal agencies are created by Congress through "
organic statutes," which define the scope of their authority. Because the
Constitution does not expressly mention federal agencies, some commentators have called agencies the "headless fourth branch" of the federal government. However, most independent agencies are technically part of the executive branch, while others work within the legislative branch. By enacting the
Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in 1946, Congress established means to oversee agency action through uniform
administrative law procedures for setting regulations and adjudicating claims. The APA also establishes
judicial review of agency action. ==See also==