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E uropean Governance and the E uropean Parliament: From Talking Shop to Legislative Powerhouse
Author(s) -
Kohler Manfred
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/jcms.12095
Subject(s) - parliament , accountability , legitimacy , legislature , voting , status quo , political science , transparency (behavior) , public administration , corporate governance , function (biology) , business , law and economics , economics , law , finance , politics , evolutionary biology , biology
This article provides an insight into the status quo and functions of the E uropean Parliament ( EP ) in the E uropean U nion ( EU ) multi‐level governance system in order to better locate the structural issues the EP is facing in terms of accountability and legitimacy in the EU . The study mainly finds that the EP's extension of powers by the treaties and non‐treaty‐based inter‐institutional agreements has led it to become a legislative powerhouse, the work of which is concentrated in the less visible committees. This development, however, comes at the cost of the EP 's function as a public arena of debate and conflict, with the big party groups mainly voting like a singular bloc in the plenary because decisions had already been agreed in the committees. In sum, increasing competences and workloads do not lead to more legitimacy and accountability.