National Parliaments As Cornerstones Of European Integration

This book deals with the role of national parliaments in the perspective of European Integration. It examines the relationship between national parliaments and the European Parliament. In order to find a solution to the problem of the democratic deficit in the EU, Smith concludes that it is vital for European Integration to create an efficient decision making process which is best served by centralisation and majority voting. However, this runs counter to democratic legitimation, which is dependent on institutions at the national level. The book is unique in that the description of national models for parliamentary influence is used as an example for a similar model at the European level. It is largely based on a conference which was held at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, Norway in June 1995.

European integration is progressing at an even more rapid rate. Accompanying this progress is an increasing debate about the institutional shape and legitimacy of this new political order. This debate is driven in part by conflicting values, and in part by uncertainty. This book addresses the question of parliamentary involvement in the emerging European political system by looking at both national and European levels of parliamentary representation. In doing this, it gives greater attention to the role of national parliaments than is usual in discussions about democracy in the European Union. Based on interviews and surveys among members of parliament at the European level, and in eleven member states, it analyses the role of parliaments and parliamentarians, the linkages between national citizenry and the European level, and the problems and perspectives of institutional change. The book is provides analyses of the views from within concerning European integration and concentrates of three dimensions: the MPs themselves; their embeddedness in the process; and their perspectives on institutional structures. These views from within offer new insights and answers to institutional problems in the European Union and the so-called democratic deficit.

This book presents a wide range of perspectives on the role of national parliaments in EU politics and policy-making. Many accounts of the role of national parliaments portray them as passive victims of European integration. This study instead examines their role within the EU policy-making process, looking at efforts to address perceived democratic and information ‘deficits'. Bringing together leading scholars in the fields of European studies, public policy analysis, and legislative research, this new volume provides: a thorough and wide-ranging synthetic analysis of the position of national parliaments within the EU policy-making structures a range of detailed country studies, including for the first time an analysis of the new member state parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe an analysis of the significant changes to the position of national parliaments brought about by the recent Convention process and the provisions of the EU’s Constitutional Treaty. Making an important contribution to an emerging comparative literature on the parliamentary dimension to EU public policy-making, National Parliaments within the Enlarged European Union will interest students and researchers in the fields of European integration, EU politics, and public policy analysis.

This volume provides, for the first time, the material that is essential for an informed debate. It discusses how national parliaments have adapted to the effects of the Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty. Detailed studies of ten national parliaments lead to conclusions as to how they have adapted, or not adapted to European integration. The authors look at each parliament from the time of membership, identifying the key stages of institutional change. These case studies are complemented by an analysis of how national parliaments are viewed by institutions of the European Union that set the agenda for change and face the problems of remedying the perceived democratic deficit within the EU.

The resounding popular rejection in France and the Netherlands of the proposed EU Constitutional Treaty has focused attention on the role played by national parliaments in the process of European integration. Recognizing the need for an in-depth critical.

Advancing an explanation based on political parties' constitutional preferences, this volume investigates the nature and variation of parliamentary rights in European Union affairs across countries and levels of governance