Debates in the European Parliament

1
Debates in the European Parliament

• Dr. Teija Tiilikainen
• 19.4.2007

Network for European Studies www.helsinki.fi/nes
2
The European Parliament as a Parliament

• The EU as a parliamentary regime
• Direct parliamentary elections
• Parliamentary responsibility of the government
  (the Commission)
• The political organisation of the EP in
  transnational party-groups
• Key differences
• No government-opposition constellation
• No European electoral programmes or campaigns
• MEPs lack a right to make legislative
  initiatives

3
The European Parliament as a Parliament

• The EP as a working parliament with a controlling
  function (Philipp Dann)
• Division between working parliaments and debating
  parliaments (US European tradition)
• working parliament
• weaker powers in nominating the government
• weaker in terms of interaction with the
  government
• Emphasis on committees rather than on the plenary
• Emphasis on expert role in legislative issues

4
The European Parliament as a Parliament

• Political organisation
• Transnational party groups
• Chairperson, national party delegations
• Varying group discipline (whip institution)
• Parliamentary committees
• Permanent and non-permanent
• Key role in legislative processes
• Formulate the EPs position in legislative
  prosesses (rapporteur drafts a report)
• Draft own-initiative reports

5
Debate in the European Parliament

• The political dimensions of the EPs debate
• The EP in the EUs parliamentary regime
• Safeguarding/enhancing its own powers
• Making claims for new powers (foreign policy)
• Raising issues on the EUs agenda
• Representing the will of European peoples (Iraq
  2003)
• The EP as a Party Political Arena
• The EP as an arena for the institutionalised
  interests of the EP committees

6
Debate in the European Parliament

• Key documents
• Interinstitutional agreements
• Programmes of political groups
• Reports in legislative issues
• Own-initiative reports
• Decisions
• Speeches and statements
• Hearings