Building Europe S Parliament

Why have the national governments of EU member states successively endowed the European Parliament with supervisory, budgetary, and legislative powers over the past fifty years? Building Europe's Parliament sheds new light on this pivotal issue, and provides a major contribution to the study of the European Parliament. Rittberger develops a theory of delegation to representative institutions in international politics which combines elements of democratic theory and different strands of institutionalist theory. To test the plausibility of his theory, Rittberger draws on extensive archival material and offers theory-guided, in-depth case studies of three landmark decisions in the history of the European Parliament: the creation of the Common Assembly of the ECSC in 1951 and the concomitant acquisition of supervisory powers vis-à-vis the quasi-executive High Authority; the delegation of budgetary powers following the signing of the Treaty of Luxembourg in 1970; and the delegation of legislative powers resulting from the adoption of the Single European Act signed in 1986. This is followed by the charting of more recent key developments, culminating in the adoption of the Constitutional Treaty in 2004. The book provides a welcome addition to the literature on institutional design by reflecting on the conditions under which governments opt for the creation and empowerment of parliamentary institutions in international politics. It also makes a valuable contribution to the application of democratic theory to the study of the European Union by demonstrating that political elites shared the view that the new supranational polity which emerged from the debris of World War II suffered from 'democratic deficit' since its inception, thus disproving the claim that the lamented 'democratic deficit' is a recent phenomenon.

As political polarisation undermines confidence in the shared values and established constitutional orders of many nations, it is imperative that we explore how parliaments are to stay relevant and accessible to the citizens whom they serve. The rise of modern democracies is thought to have found physical expression in the staged unity of the parliamentary seating plan. However, the built forms alone cannot give sufficient testimony to the exercise of power in political life. Parliament Buildings brings together architecture, history, art history, history of political thought, sociology, behavioural psychology, anthropology and political science to raise a host of challenging questions. How do parliament buildings give physical form to norms and practices, to behaviours, rituals, identities and imaginaries? How are their spatial forms influenced by the political cultures they accommodate? What kinds of histories, politics and morphologies do the diverse European parliaments share, and how do their political trajectories intersect? This volume offers an eclectic exploration of the complex nexus between architecture and politics in Europe. Including contributions from architects who have designed or remodelled four parliament buildings in Europe, it provides the first comparative, multi-disciplinary study of parliament buildings across Europe and across history. Praise for Parliament Buildings ‘In its totality, this is an invaluable book, both as a comprehensive review of the wider implications of architecture and building in culture and society, and as a specific resource in the understanding of one highly specialised, but profoundly significant building type.’ Dean Hawkes, Cardiff University and University of Cambridge ‘Symbols of history and of hope, theatres of struggle, cradles of consensus: parliamentary buildings, as these diverse essays show, both reflect our democracies and can help them function better.’ David Anderson, House of Lords ‘Parliament Buildings is a brilliant interdisciplinary exploration of a fascinating topic. Theoretically sophisticated, empirically rich and historically informed, it demonstrates the multiple ways in which politics and the built environment intersect, and sheds light on the symbolic and material practices central to contemporary representative politics.’ Duncan Bell, University of Cambridge

This book assesses the many changes that have occurred within the European Parliament and in its external relations since the Lisbon treaty (2009) and the last European elections (2014). It is undoubtedly the institution that has evolved the most since the 1950s. Despite the many crises experienced by European integration in the last years, the Parliament is still undergoing important changes in its formal competences, its influence on policy-making, its relations with other EU institutions, its internal organisation and its internal political dynamics. Every contribution deals with the most recent aspects of these evolutions and addresses overlooked topics, providing an overview of the current state of play which challenges the mainstream intergovernmental approach of the EU. This project results from research conducted at the Department of European Political and Governance Studies of the College of Europe. Individual research of several policy analysts of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) have contributed to this endeavour.

DESCRIPTION AND COMMENTS BY POLITICAL LEADERS: How do you gain influence and publicity in the European Parliament? How do you compete successfully with the Council and the Commission? How can you use reporters and lobbyists to advance your political career? How to Run the European Parliament offers a unique look behind the scenes and reveals the secret tactics and manoeuvres Members of the European Parliament need to master in order to prevail. This brutally honest tutorial is a must-read for all MEPs, assistants, public servants, lobbyists, and journalists who want to understand how power politics is played. JACEK SARYUSZ-WOLSKI | Vice-President of the European People''s Party "Achieving success as an MEP, both nationally and within the EU, requires many skills - mastering the nuances of the legislative process, negotiating with impact, building networks, maximizing support and votes, organizing day-to-day functioning with optimal results, and many more. Marilyn Political''s insightful tutorial captures these nuances in one book that every aspiring MEP and his collaborators should read." ALEXANDER GRAF LAMBSDORFF | Vice-President of the European Parliament "Unique and impressive. An absolute must-read for all new Members of the European Parliament." PETRI SARVAMAA | Vice-Chair of the European Parliament''s Committee on Budgets "Astonishing read! It''s merciless, unforgiving, and so true. As an MEP I could not imagine a better guide into ways of influencing political decision-making in Brussels. I regularly go back to the advice of the book. And I make sure all my advisers and assistants know the text by heart." MARKUS FERBER | Vice-Chair of the European Parliament''s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs "How to Run the European Parliament provides an informed insight on what happens behind the curtains. From negotiation strategies to shaping public perceptions - this book is the perfect read if you want to gain an in-depth understanding of how European policy making actually works." LINN�A ENGSTR�M | Vice-Chair of the European Parliament''s Committee on Fisheries "This book will teach you the mind-set and psychology of the European Parliament. Being a European politician means: relying on good advisers and having the confidence and strength to be patient, generous, and trustworthy. The road to success lies in hard work - and making the right choices. This book will give you exactly the push you need, and the direction to set you on the right path." ANDREY NOVAKOV | Member of the European Parliament "One of the most get-to-the-point, useful, and must-have political books I have in my library." IVAN STEFANEC | Member of the European Parliament "The book is a very useful and enjoyable reading, particularly for newcomers to the European Parliament. It is a good overview of parliamentarian activities. It reassured me about what I was doing right and where I should improve." JON�S FERN�NDEZ | Member of the European Parliament "This book makes for fascinating - and funny - reading. More importantly, it is quite useful, particularly for newcomers. I highly recommend it to any new MEP as absolutely essential. It provides quite a number of practical suggestions, and not to be underestimated, a fair amount of laughing, something that should never be in short supply when working at the European Parliament." SANDER LOONES | Vice-Chair of the European Parliament''s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs "The European House of Cards, but with a healthy portion of pragmatism." LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK: www.marilynpolitical.com/publications

An examination of executive actors' accountability for EU economic decisions in the aftermath of the euro crisis.

In Building European Union, Trevor Salmon and William Nicoll draw upon twenty years experience, one as an academic, the other as a practitioner of European policy to bring together over 100 key documents on european integration in one volume. each document or group of documents, is preceded by commentary which locates the document in its historical context and explains its provenance, purpose and impact upon the development of European Union.

The European Parliament in the Contested Union provides a systematic assessment of the real influence of the European Parliament (EP) in policy-making. Ten years after the coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, which significantly empowered Europe's only directly elected institution, the contributions collected in this volume analyse whether, and under what conditions, the EP has been able to use its new powers and shape decisions. Going beyond formal or normative descriptions of the EP's powers, this book provides an up-to-date and timely empirical assessment of the role of the EP in the European Union, focusing on key cases such as the reforms of the EU's economic governance and asylum policy, the Brexit negotiations and the budget. The book challenges and qualifies the conventional view that the EP has become more influential after Lisbon. It shows that the influence of the EP is conditional on the salience of the negotiated policy for the Member States. When EU legislation touches upon 'core state powers', as well as when national financial resources are at stake, the role of the EP - notwithstanding its formal powers - is more constrained and its influence more limited. This book provides fresh light on the impact of the EP and its role in a more contested and politicised European Union. Bringing together an international team of top scholars in the field and analysing a wealth of new evidence, The European Parliament in the Contested Union challenges conventional explanations on the role of the EP, tracking down empirically its impact on key policies and processes. It will be of great interest to scholars of the European Union, European politics and policy-making. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of European Integration.