The French and the Italian Parliaments in EU Affairs Post-Lisbon: True Empowerment or Cosmetic Change?

The JCER is an open-access journal published by the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) in association with the UACES Student Forum.

The JCER invites submissions from scholars who are experts in any subject area delivering analysis that relates to Europe. This includes, but is not limited to, Politics/International Relations, Area Studies, European Integration, Economics, Law, History, Culture and Learning & Teaching. The journal publishes the work of established academics alongside that of PhD students and early career researchers.Abstract:

The role of national parliaments in EU decision-making has generally been considered marginal since national parliaments participate indirectly through national executives. The Lisbon Treaty, however, triggered important developments in this regard. Direct involvement of national parliaments through the Early Warning System and Political Dialogue has prompted internal reforms.

This article argues that, because of the new procedures provided for by the Lisbon Treaty and the direct relationship between the European Commission and national parliaments, certain legislatures such as the French and Italian have become stronger in their involvement in EU affairs.

However, seven years of practice post-Lisbon show that the innovations brought about by the new Treaty have fallen short of fully satisfying national parliaments’ thirst for active engagement. The authors also observe that changes at the national level have only been implemented progressively and have not yet been exploited to their full potential.

JCER, Vol.13, No.3 (2017): Complete Issue http://jcer.net/index.php/jcer/issue/view/51

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