The European Parliament, 5th ed.

Book abstract:

The European Parliament is the only directly elected body in the European Union (EU). This book serves as both a provider of source material and a guide through the Parliament in all its difficulty and complexity, attempting to elucidate its intricate laws and to provide an update on its various processes of decision making, in what is fast becoming an ever-expanding and labyrinthine European system.

The book consists of three major parts, ranging over seventeen chapters. The first part sets out to explain and clarify the framework of the European Parliament. It contains, for instance, discussions on the transition to a co-legislative system, the evolving federal system, the process of election and the question of languages. Part two, on the actors and working structures within the parliament, looks at the individual members in terms of length of service, dual mandate MEPs, the ration of men and women, and rights and obligations et cetera; political groups, in terms of their historical development, their structure and power distribution; leadership structures, parliamentary committees, interparliamentary delegations, the question of plenary, intergroups and the Parliament Secretariat. In part three, on parliamentary powers, there is work on legislation, and the procedures concerning consultation, co-operation, co-decision, conciliation and assent. There are also explorations of the budgetary role, appointments and dismissals, the monitoring and control of the executive, the notion of a 'forum' for communication, and finally a chapter on the parliament and the idea of constitutional change, with an analysis of the draft treaty on the European Union and the Single European Act, the changes between Maastricht and Amsterdam, and Salade Niçoise. The work further contains appendices on European Parliament elections, MEPs, contact details for parliament offices and other miscellaneous sources of information.

The book is aimed at scholars, practitioners, students, and anyone working in the sphere of the European Parliament.