From legislative controllers to policy proponents: The evolving role of national parliaments in EU multi-level governance

Abstract

National parliaments, as institutions that control EU-oriented activities of their governments and often transpose EU legislation into domestic orders, have a role to play in EU affairs. This chapter takes stock of the current roles of national parliaments in the EU and seeks to answer the question of whether they contribute effectively to enhancing the representative and participatory dimensions of EU governance. It evaluates the subsidiarity controlling role of national parliaments, their discussants’ function within the “political dialogue” and a potential pro-active stance as policy proponents in the “green card” initiative. It concludes that despite a range of weaknesses of the currently operating mechanisms, there is still much unexploited potential in the EU-oriented parliamentary involvement, which might produce positive effects with regard to EU democratic legitimacy.