The financial crisis and the European Parliament: an analysis of the Two-Pack legislation

Abstract:

The left–right line of conflict has been the dominant dimension of decision-making in the European Parliament since 1979. A pro-/anti-European Union integration dimension is of secondary importance. Limited evidence exists on the conditions under which these different dimensions matter.

This study examines parliamentary decision-making about the so-called Two-Pack, which moved responsibilities about budgetary decision-making to the European Commission. The article uses in-depth interviews, textual analysis of committee debates and roll call voting analysis in order to determine which lines of conflict matter at which stage of decision-making.

The evidence indicates that left–right division is dominant in the informal stage preceding committee debates, while both the pro-/anti-European Union and the left/right dimensions matter during the committee stage, whereas for plenary votes, the pro-/anti-European Union dimension is crucial.

ESO: The Two-Pack on economic governance: Establishing an EU framework for dealing with threats to financial stability in euro area member states http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-two-pack-on-economic-governance-establishing-an-eu-framework-for-dealing-with-threats-to-financial-stability-in-euro-area-member-states/

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