Week 5: Institutions- European Parliament Flashcards
Who elects the members of the European Parliament?
The people of the member states
What are the “community method” and the “intergovernmental cooperation method”?
Both are decision-making processes that are used in different areas:
- Community method: based on a balance between the three main institutions (Commission, Council, Parliament) and decisions taken by qualified majority in the Council. (MOST COMMON)
- Intergovernmental cooperation method: based on decisions taken unanimously in the Council with contributory involvement of the other institutions. (MAINLY USED IN CFSP AND SOME ASPECTS IN JUDICIAL COOPERATION)
Little overview about the European Parliament’s structure:
The European Parliament consists of 705 members elected from the 27 member states of the enlarged European Union. Since 1979, MEPs have been elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year period.
What is the voter tournout?
It means electoral participation. a high turnout would serve to enhance the EP’s legitimacy and democratic base and would also place the EP in a strong position to press for increased powers.
What is the “multisite problem in the European Parliament”?
The work of the EP is carried out on three sites in three different countries. Full plenary sessions are held in Strasbourg whilst mini-plenary sessions are held in Brussels. Committees usually meet in Brussels.
Most of the staff are based in Luxembourg
What was the road from co-decision to ordinary legislative procedure?
- Maastricht treaty: introduction of the co-decision procedure
- Amsterdam treaty: simplification of the co-decision procedure making it possible to conclude agreements at first reading.
- Nice treaty: extension of the scope of the co-decision procedure to further areas
- Lisbon Treaty: co-decision finally becomes the ordinary legislative procedure, covering 85 areas of the Union.
What is the consent procedure?
The consent procedure is a legislative or non-legislative procedure where the European Parliament (EP) is not a co-author of the act with the Council of the European Union but can still exercise its power of veto or approval.
The EP’s consent to a proposed act may be required under either the Treaty on European Union (TEU) or the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The EP may accept or reject a proposed act and cannot amend it. Where the EP does not give its consent, the act cannot be adopted.
What is the consultation procedure?
It requires the Council to consider the European Parliament’s opinion and, where indicated in the Treaties, those of the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Central Bank.
However, the Council is not bound by the Parliament’s position but only by the obligation to consult it. The absence of such consultation makes the act illegal and capable of annulment by the Court of Justice.
Furthermore, when the Council intends to substantially amend the proposal, it is required to consult Parliament again.
What are the budgetary powers of the European Parliament?
- Adoption of: Annual budget, Multiannual Financial Framework
- Budgetary control
control and supervisory powers of the EP?
- Policy implementation: check if policies are being implemented efficiently and for the purposes intended by relevant law
- IN RELATION TO THE COMMISSION 7 POWERS:
1. The right of the EP to be consulted on the person whom the governments of the member states intend to choose as President of the Commission
2. The president and the other members of the Commission thus nominated shall be subject as a body to a vote of approval by the European Parliament before they are formally designed by the governments of the member states
3. The EP can dismiss the College of Commissioners by carrying a motion of censure by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, including a majority of all MEPs.
4. The Parliament ‘shall discuss in open session the annual general report submitted to it by the Commission’
5. Give approval to the Commission in the execution of the budget.
6. Parliament’s standing committees have sufficiently broad powers to allow them to attempt to exercise supervisory functions if they so choose.
7. Questions can be asked of the Commission.
Is the EP becoming a “proper” parliament?
- The EP is a special sort of advisory body rather than a proper parliament.
- It does not have full legislative powers.
- Its budgetary powers are limited.
- It cannot overthrow a government.
