From ‘talking shop’ to ‘working Parliament’? The European Parliament and agricultural change

Abstract:

Studies of agricultural change in the EU have disregarded the European Parliament on the grounds that it enjoys limited formal policy-making prerogatives in this domain. Contrary to perceptions of parliamentary powerlessness, it is argued here that European Parliament committees can steer change by manipulating the formal institutional parameters defining their actions. The analysis shows how shifting patterns of farm politics in the last 15 years have enabled the European Parliament to promote key public concerns on the EU farm agenda. It fits one more piece into the puzzle of agricultural change by shedding light on the work of parliamentary committees