The Democratic Legitimacy of the EU’s Economic Governance and National Parliaments

Abstract:

The Euro crisis has a major impact on the EU as such and on its member states. A key dimension of it concerns the democratic legitimation by national parliaments of the measures taken to face the crisis. Perpetuating the general trend of de-parliamentarization triggered by European integration, national parliaments find it ever more difficult to control their executives in times of these drastic economic measures.

As a contribution to the lively political and academic debate on the role of national parliaments in the EU, this paper will focus on the recent participation of national parliaments in the policy-making of the economic governance evolving at the EU level. Two major aspects of the Euro crisis' decision-making in recent years include: the role of the European Council and policy coordination in the European Semester. Both challenge the ability of national parliaments to stay in control of national budgets and economic policy. This paper, which draws on comparative data concerning all 27 EU member states, considers whether national parliaments are further sidelined in the EU decision-making process or try to "fight back" against their loss of traditional competences.

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