1. DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE EU EXECUTIVE : NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS
Deirdre Curtin
DUBLIN, 8 MAY 2014

2. EU Executive Dominance
European Council (national PM’s)
Council of Ministers (national ministers)
European Commission
ECB
Four ‘Presidents’

3. NATURE OF EXECUTIVE POWER: COMPLEX AND SCATTERED
Legislative (early readings; limits of subsidiarity mechanism)
Non Legislative (eg European Semester, ECB, CFSP, International agreements etc)

4. (Representation, Participation) (Learning/Reflexive)
Types
Intergovernmental
European Council
Supranational
Commission
Regulatory
ECB (Agencies)
Democratic
(Representation, Participation)
Representation of MS governments interests?
Diplomatic (or ‘deliberative’ consensus formation ) working method??
Publicity in advance of decision making?
Key role national parliaments
Enhanced political accountability to EP (plus link in European elections)
Civil society consultations- ?
Limited transparency
Participation Light
Constitutional
(Checks and Balances)
Weak constitutional basis EP, resolutions ignored; ‘sucked-in’ to executive secret keeping
Role of Court and executive responses
European Council as actor before Court
Role of Court ?
Access to information
Dynamic
(Learning/Reflexive)
????
Information gathering and evaluation (by peers/experts)
Socialisation of deliberations
Peer review (eg thematic reviews)
Innovative learning tools (eg peer counseling)
Peer Review?

5. Who ought to be accountable to whom? Different perspectives
EU Actor EU
Governance
Perspectives
 European Council
Commission
ECB/Agencies
Intergovernmental
To national parliaments
and electorate
To member state
governments; national parliaments?
Inter-parliamentary mechanisms
governments
Supranational
To European Parliament
(collectively);
To Court of Justice (CJEU)
To European Parliament;
To Commission/Council
To Court of Justice(CJEU)
Regulatory
n.a. (the perspective is
focused on role of
administrative actors
only)
To Court of Auditors
To sectoral and
international expert
review/benchmark
bodies
To management boards
composed of technical
experts
To professional accreditation
and benchmark bodies
Source: Bovens, Curtin, ‘t Hart, The Real World of EU Accountability. What Deficit? (2010)

6. Accountability

7. COMPONENTS
Information (Public): do parliaments get timely and complete information? Do they get access to ‘limited’ information and on what conditions? What is impact (secrecy)? Who sets the rules?
Debate (Dialogue): do (prime) ministers come to parliament before eg EC meetings and have a debate? Do EU ‘Presidents’ come to NP and have a dialogue on the basis of full information?
Consequence (Sanction): can the ‘rascals’ be sent home? Is there any other consequence?

8. Source: European Parliament, DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES, ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE SUPPORT UNIT (EGOV)
Source: European Parliament, Directorate-General for Internal Policies, Economic Governance Support Unit (EGOV)

9. EP Plenary
Information –some given (not always stay to answer questions of information)
Little direct dialogue (set speeches; opening and concluding little direct reaction)
Justifications asked in the form of explanations (but not always answered directly or indirectly)
No real pressure (or consequences)

10. Economic and Monetary Committee
Economic Dialogue (on model of Monetary Dialogue with ECB?)
On line videos
More informative than plenary sessions and more dialogue
Report available in advance and specific questions and answers on that basis
Strict time limits

11. European Semester Practice
Rehn before national parliaments: general speeches, not focussed debate ex ante of concrete fiscal measures
Upto national parliaments to get to grips on time with European Semester (eg Danish and Finnish parliaments) and national governments National Reform Programmes (and binding reform contracts)
Incomplete information
Scrutiny behind closed doors?
(Weak) role of inter-parliamentary forums (European Parliamentary week )

12. National ‘Ownership’
Source: Consideration of the European Semester by the Danish Parliament, Report issued by the European Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee on 21 June 2013

13. Law on Cooperation German Government and Bundestag (2013)
Model for other national parliaments? Role of German Constitutional Court
Legal obligation on government to supply wide range of information
Covers formal and informal meetings/documents, European Council, Euro summits, Eurogroup “and of comparable institutions held on the basis of international agreements”
Covers preparatory bodies, working groups, trilogues…

14. And the European Parliament?
Not alternative but supplementary
Partnership because of composite nature of executive power, joined committees etc
Role of interparliamentary forums – enhancing
Eurozone specific parliament/committee?
Challenging executive dominance also through ‘disobedience’…