Accountability, Parliamentarism and Transparency in the EU

This accessible and detailed book takes an interdisciplinary approach in exploring the position of national parliaments in the EU polity and in particular their position within the EU governance framework. Adam Cygan analyzes the impact of subsidiarity monitoring upon national parliaments and to what extent this provides new opportunities for national parliaments to be engaged in, and exert influence over, the EU legislative process. While the post-Lisbon position of national parliaments may have improved, this book questions whether national parliaments can really be considered as central actors in EU affairs. The author also queries whether subsidiarity monitoring has the capacity to create a collective bloc of horizontal actors which exert effective accountability over the EU legislative process. Accountability, Parliamentarism and Transparency in the EU will strongly appeal to academics, parliamentarians/parliamentary officials working in EU affairs, as well as EU civil servants. Contents: Introduction 1. National Parliaments, Accountability and Transparency in a European Perspective 2. European Integration and Deparliamentarisation 3. National Parliaments in the EU Treaties 4. The Ordinary Legislative Process and National Parliaments 5. Subsidiarity as a Regulatory Principle in EU Law 6. Subsidiarity Control after Lisbon 7. Accountability and Legitimacy in a Multi-Level Context 8. National Parliaments after Lisbon: A New Dawn of Accountability or Remaining on the Periphery? Bibliography Index