The United Kingdom Parliament and European Union legislation

The United Kingdom Parliament and European Union legislation:
Studies in Law is a new series from the Centre of European Law, King's College London. The aim of the series is to publish studies in the broad area of European Community Law and Comparative European Law.

The aim of this book is to analyse the role of the United Kingdom Parliament in the law-making procedures of the European Union.

Part one considers the constitutional position of Parliament in the European Union and examines the formal and informal relationship between Parliament and the European Institutions and their effect upon the legislative process.

Part two focuses on the House of Commons scrutiny of European Community legislative proposals. It examines the work of the Select Committee on European Legislation, the two European Standing Committees and the Departmental Select Committees. A particular point of focus is their primary task, of influencing the minister before he gives final agreement to a legislative proposal in the Council of Ministers. This section concludes with an analysis of how developments post-Maastricht have affected the scrutiny process. Particular attention is paid to the co-decision legislative procedure and its impact on scrutiny.

Part three focuses on the arrangements in the House of Lords for scrutiny of European decision-making. The two core chapters examine and evaluate the Select Committee on the European Communities and the five subject-related Sub-Committees. Where relevant, comparative analysis with procedures in the Commons is drawn.

Developments post-Maastricht are also considered by inquiring into the scrutiny arrangements for legislation proposed under the Inter-Governmental Pillars. Part three concludes with an appraisal of current proposals for reforming the House of Lords and its potential impact on scrutiny.

Part four, the conclusion, evaluates the evidence presented and proposes detailed reform to the scrutiny process. The final paragraphs focus specifically on the outcome of the 1996-97 intergovernmental conference, whose agenda included the role of national parliaments in the European Union. Within this context, the prospects for, and likely future developments to the scrutiny process are considered.

Cygan, Adam Jan
The United Kingdom Parliament and European Union legislation
Studies in Law, Vol.2
Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998
ISBN: 90-411-9650-1
Price: £46.00