The New Europe

The European Parliament

EU Parliament Building, Strasbourg

*Location important, symbolic – why?

Notes to Chapter by Roger Scully, in Cini and Perez-Solorzana, eds., European Union Politics, 3^rd Edition.

I.Power, Stature over time

II.Organization

III.Working Practices

IV.Links to Constituents

I.Power, Stature over time

**Has grown considerably

Began as appointed chamber

Reps from the national parliaments

Part-time

Only 78 members from 6 member states

Powers:

Could discuss policy

Scrutinize execution

Dismiss the High Authority (predecessor to Commission)

Could only issue opinions

Other institutions not compelled to respond

Proposed elected parliament in Treaty of Rome 1957

First parliament not elected until 1979

Why?

Stalling, fear on the part of the Euro-skeptics, nationalist parties

Power of EP grew considerably at three junctures (See Case Study 10.2):

SEA (gained right to veto that needed unanimity by Council to over turn in market regulation/oversight)

Maastrict Treaty (moved to co-decision procedure in some areas)

Amsterdam Treaty (co-decision extended; veto over Commission President nominee)

Nice Treaty (further extends co-decision)

Powers Now, post-Treaty of Lisbon

Must approve the Commission President

and the Commission; can dismiss them

Must approve the budget

Budgetary oversight

Ordinary Legislative Procedure (formerly known as co-decision) in most areas

Shares law-making power with

The Council

Assent: Parliament can accept or reject but NOT offer amendments

Used in votes on enlargement, treaties with other countries, citizenship, some ECB

The point: some role for the Parliament,

i.e., “the people of Europe” but not as strong of legislative influence as in “ordinary legislative procedure” (co-decision)

Cooperation: like co-decision but Council makes final decision

In areas having to do with financial monitoring, harmonizing coinage, prohibition on assuming financial liabilities of member states

Consultation: in agriculture, taxation, competition

Council consults Parliament, ESC and CoR

Parliament can:

approve, reject or ask for amendments;

goes back to Commission,

if Commission accepts then Council votes – must be unanimous

What’s the point:

greater Parliamentary check on the council

i.e., the Council must vote unanimously

for amendment it does not pass

See LobbyPlanet site for overview of each decision making procedure

II.Organization

Plenary sessions in Strasbourg

Staff support at Secretariat Luxembourg City

Committee Meetings in Brussels, so as to coordinate more easily with the Commission and Councils

President of the Chamber

President 17 January 2012 – July 2014

Martin Schulz

Former bookseller, mayor from Hehlrath, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats - see also group homepage

President 5 July 2004 – 17 January 2012

Jerzy Buzek (EPP) (in Poland: Centrum Obywatelski - CO)

President’s Homepage

2010 Address

President helps steer agenda, scheduling, allocation of committee chairs

through the Conference of Presidents

President

14 VPs

Heads of each party group

Size 2009

736 members (reduced for most countries in Nice Treaty as number had grown to 785 after accession of post-Communist states, etc.)

Maximum number of MEPs per country now is 99 (Germany) minimum five (Malta)

Lisbon envisages that the maximum will be 96, the minimum six: total 751 (beginning in 2014)

BUT

EU delegations are NOT organized by country but by

Parliamentary Group

i.e., by political ideology

Scully finds evidence that working together (intragroup unity) is very high given diversity of membership

i.e., higher that either party of US Congress (Scully 168; Hix et al 2006)

Give and take

Dissent – often along national lines

2009 Parliament

Political Group

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) do not sit in national blocks, but in seven Europe-wide political groups.

European People’s Party and European Democrats (EPP): Center-right

Christian Democrats

List of Parties in group, e.g., CDU/CSU (DE); PO (PL); UMP (FR)

The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D):  Center-left

Socialist parties, Social Democratic parties, e.g., SPD (DE), PS (FR), Labour (UK), SLD-UP (PL)

What it Stands For

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE):  Centerists, Liberals

3^rd largest group

Examples of some parties in group:  Liberal Democrat Party (UK);  Dem 66 (NL); FDP (DE); Partia Democratyczna (PL); Parties/National Delegations

The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA):  New Left parties, many from Scandinavia, FR, UK, ES but also Welsh party Plaid Cymru and SNP

Green Left (GUE/NGL): Far Left, some Commuist Parties

e.g. Communist parties of CZ, IT, FR; Socialist Party of Ireland and Sinn Fein

European Conservatives and Reformists Groups (ECR):  Nationalist-right, Euroskeptics

e.g., The Conservative Party and Ulster Unionists (UK), PiS and PJN (PL), ODS (CZ)

Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD): Extreme right, Euroskeptics

e.g. UK Independence Party (UK), Lega Nord (IT), Mouvement pour la France (FR)

III.Working Practices of the EU Parliament

Plenary Session: 1 week (Strasbourg)

may be addressed by visiting PMs or other world leaders;

other times: formulaic speeches by MEPs “for the record”

**problems of multi-lingualism

farcical, non –synchronous, time- consuming

have to judiciously allocate time

Mini-sessions (2 days) few times per month in Brussels

Two weeks per month: Committee work (rapporteur prepares report to larger body)

Party Group week

Constituency week

Organized in Committees

Foreign Affairs

Development

International Trade

Budgets

Economic and Monetary Affairs

Employment and Social Affairs

Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Industry, Research and Energy

Transport and Tourism

Regional Development

Agriculture and Rural Development

Fisheries

Culture and Education

Legal Affairs

Civil Liberties, JHA

Constitutional Affairs

Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Petitions

IV.Links to Constituents

What are the feelings of most Europeans about the EP?

At what rate to Europeans participate in EU elections?

Why?

Feelings? Legitimacy?: tepid at best

Evidence? In 2008, only 26% knew elections would be held in 2009 (Scully 172, Eurobarometer No. 70)

Eurobarometer report 69.2

Most said they wouldn’t vote because they didn’t see how it affected them or didn’t know enough about the parliament

Most neither know nor care what the EP is up to

Only 44% voted in 2004 elections; on decline from over 60% in 1979 (note enlargement)

Predicament:

EU leaders have argued for an enhanced role for EP to enhance legitimacy of EU

Response: growing apathy, disengagement, the constitutional crisis, protest from some quarters

What, if anything, should the EU do about this?

Who should do it? Who’s job is it to strengthen this connection between the EU, especially, the EP and European citizens?