The European Parliament’s role in closer EU integration

Book abstract:

This book assesses the impact of the European Parliament on the process of European integration. It begins with an analysis of what integration theorists expected of the directly elected Parliament when such an idea was still on the drawing board and then examines what the Parliament has achieved in practice. It concludes that the Parliament has been extremely significant, though not always in the ways initially expected. The author, Richard Corbett, MEP for Merseyside West, has many years of experience at various levels in the European Parliament and his previous academic research provides the basis for his examination of the Parliament's impact on the successive re-negotiations of the European treaties and also its day-to-day influence on the development of European policies. He also looks at the impact of the full-time MEP on Europe's political parties.

The chapters are: Theoretical approaches to European integration; What to expect of the European Parliament; A new political network; Exploiting its existing powers; Reform within the Treaties; Parliament turns to Treaty revision; The draft Treaty; From the draft Treaty to the 1985 Intergovernmental Conference; The Intergovernmental Conference of 1985; Making the most of the Single European Act; Relaunching the ship; The IGCs on Economic and Monetary Union and on political union; Making the most of Maastricht; Overall conclusions; Postscript: The Treaty of Amsterdam.

This in-depth study deals with a vast process and attempts to provide an insight into one of the most complex and multifaceted ongoing political processes of our time. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the process of European integration in general, and the contribution of the European Parliament in particular.

Palgrave: Catalogue: 'European Industrial Policy and Competitiveness. Concepts and Instruments' http://www.palgrave.com/products/Catalogue.aspx?is=0333744098

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