Who Selects What and How? How the European Parliament Obtains and Processes Information for Policy-Making

Abstract

The European Parliament (EP) has undergone an amazing transformation since its inception in the 1950s. From an unelected Common Assembly it has become a full-fledged co-legislator together with the Council and is now directly elected by EU citizens. The Treaty of Lisbon has extended the Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP) (former co-decision) to cover 85 Treaty bases and the EP is now co-legislator in thus far uncharted territory of the Common Commercial Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy to name just two.