This timely book explores pertinent questions around the legitimacy and effectiveness of EU agencies'AEo soft law, with a particular focus on the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). It examines the variety of ESMA'AEos existing and newly granted soft law-making powers, which were intended to deal with the lack of effectiveness of its predecessor but are now called into question due to the 'AEohard'AEo effect of these soft laws. Built on a combination of theoretical analysis and first-hand practical experience, Marloes van Rijsbergen tests the framework for each category of ESMA'AEos soft law instruments at each stage of the policy cycle, demonstrating that the framework can be applied to other EU agencies with similar soft law-making powers.