POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. Javier Arregui

Transcription

1 POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Javier Arregui

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3 The European Parliament

4 Common Assembly ECSC European Parliament 1979 European Parliament 2016

5 The EP: Overview The European Parliament is the institution which has changed the most since its inception as Common Assembly (ECSC) Initially purely consultative with representatives from national parliaments Today directly elected, with significant legislative, control and budgetary powers.

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7 Main functions performed by the EP To amend legislation Ratification of International Agreements EP Committees may examine cases of mismanagement in the implementation of Community law Appointment Power: President of Commission, Ombudsman, ECB, Court of Auditors) Power to dismiss the Commission

8 Power 1: Legislative Process In almost all areas of policy the European Parliament has the same lawmaking power as the Council of the EU (composed of the 28 governments). It starts with a proposal by the Commission, and the Parliament and the Council then amend the proposal (if they want) This is usually done by a qualified majority in the Council and a simple majority (a majority of those voting) in the Parliament. Once the Council and Parliament have agreed a text it becomes law, and passes to national governments to implement, Implementation is overseen by the Commission and the Court of Justice.

9 Extent of supranational decision-making Progress towards more balance? Treaty of Lisbon (2010) Treaty of Nice(2003) Treaty of Amsterdam(1999) Treaty of Maastricht(1993) Single European Act (1987) Treaty of Rome(1957) Extent of political integration

10 Policy influence and legislative participation

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12 Legislative Process Approximately 50% of amendments proposed by the European Parliament become law. This is considerably higher than national parliaments in their national legislative processes. At the national level, governments usually control a majority of seats in their parliament, and can force their MPs to vote through proposed laws; as a result, governments are rarely defeated. In Brussels, in contrast, neither the Commission nor the governments in the Council can rely on a governing majority in the European Parliament or force the MEPs to vote a particular way. As a result, coalitions have to be built issue-by-issue. These checks-and-balances mean that in practice EU policies tend to be politically centrist, as laws cannot pass without the support of a large majority of governments as well as a majority of the MEPs.

13 Power 2: Ratification of international agreements International agreements between the EU and third countries are subject to ratification by the European Parliament. The European Parliament cannot propose amendments, but has the power to veto an agreement. This is like the US Senate s power to reject international treaties signed by the US President. So, for example, TTIP, must be subject to a vote in the European Parliament.

14 Power 3: Budgetary The seven-year EU budget framework is negotiated by the member state governments and is then subject to an approval vote in the European Parliament. Each annual budget is adopted like EU legislation: with a proposal from the Commission and amendments by the Parliament and Council (Within the overall spending limits of this multi-annual budget)

15 Power 4: Oversight The European Parliament oversees the implementation of EU law and spending, and the Commission and other EU institutions. For example, the Commission President attends the plenary of the Parliament every month and Parliament s committees can call on Commission and Council officials to give evidence. The President of the European Central Bank also regularly gives evidence to the Parliament s Economic and Monetary Affairs committee.

16 Power 5: Election and Removal of the Commission Following each European Parliament election, the Parliament elects the Commission President The European Council proposes a candidate to the European Parliament, and if the Parliament rejects the candidate, the European Council must propose someone else. After a Commission President has been approved, each government proposes a Commissioner, who is then subject to a hearing before one of the European Parliament s committees (modelled on US Senate hearings of Presidential nominees of Cabinet Secretaries)

17 Power 5: Election and Removal of the Commission The European Parliament cannot reject an individual nominee but can reject the Commission as a whole. Can use the threat of rejecting the entire Commission to force a government to withdraw a nominee. the European Parliament has the power to censure the Commission as a whole. This is done with a two-thirds vote, which means in practice that the MEPs can only sack the Commission for non-partisan reasons E.g. ( Santer Commission in 1999)

18 Main actors within the EP President and vice-president (14) Parliamentarian Groups Conference of Presidents Committees Rapporteurs Secretariat of the EP

19 How the Parliament works: parties and committees The European Parliament works like most other democratic parliaments, in that politics inside the institution are dominated by parties. The MEPs sit in cross national political groups.

20 How the Parliament works: parties and committees The political groups dominate the work of the Parliament: Controlling the political agenda, Deciding which MEPs hold key positions, Forming alliances before votes, Enforcing party discipline. Party cohesion in recorded (roll-call) votes in the Parliament is comparable to national parliaments other national parliaments in Europe. (Party Group is predictive 90% of the time)

21 Committees Much of the legislative scrutiny and oversight is conducted in the parliament s standing committees, which meet monthly in Brussels MEPs propose amendments to draft legislation, which are then subject to a vote in the full plenary. A committee chair is a powerful position, as these MEPs lead the negotiations with the Council and Commission when legislation is adopted in their policy area.

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26 Cleavages and Party Families in the EP Critical Juncture Cleavage Party Family Conflictive Issues Reform Church v. State Christian Democrats v. Conservatives Abortion, bioethics, social policy, free market, crimen,... National Integration Center v. Periphery v. Regionalists Regional policy, rights, EMU,... Democratic Revolution Autorithy v. Liberty v. Liberals Free trade, Competition policy, internal market, civil liberties Agrarian Revolution Urban v. Rural v. Agrarians Common Agrarian Policy Industrial Revolution Owners v. Workers v. Socialists Social policy, industrial policy, civil liberties Fascist Dictatoship Democratic v. Revolutionary Post-industrial Society Materialist v. Postmaterialist European Integration European Integration v. National Sovereignty v. Fascists Immigration, criminality, abortion v. Greens Environmental policy, Equality policies, anti-nuclear v. Anti-europeans EMU, Political Union, EU citizenship

27 Main conflict dimensions within the EP MARKET FREEDOM Open Market /incentives Internal market Economic convergence criteria Politlcal competence of EU INTERVENTION Planned economy/employment Trade protection Social character Social convergence criteria LIBERTARIAN Citizenship of the UE Open government Women and minoritarian groups AUTHORITARIAN Common inmigration policies Efective government and authority Defense of the traditional way of life INTEGRATION Integration/ Supranationalism Increasing powers of the EP Powers / Accountability of Commission Increase of QMV Two-speed Europe INDEPENDENCE Independence/ Intergouvermentalism Implication of National Parliaments Powers/ role of Council of Ministers Preservation of unanimity vote Two-speed Europe

28 Competition between Euro-groups and the political space in the EU Integration EPP (Christian Democracy) Social Market Economy Monetary and Economic Union European Democracy / Increase powers EP Protection to traditional and family values Common foreign and security policy PES (Socialists) Unemployment as priority Economic and Social Cohesion Economic and Monetary Union Environmental Protection Development Aid EDLR (Liberals) Protection to individual rights Open markets/ Free competition European Democracy/Increase powers of EP Monetary and Economic Union International free trade Sovereignty EFGP/ Greens Environmental Protection Peace / Disarmament Open governments Development Aid Protection to minorities LEFT RIGHT

29 Party families and coalition patterns in the EU Political Space INTEGRATION Liberals Christian - Democrats Regionalists X X X LEFT X Greens X Socialists X Conservatives RIGHT X Radical left Extreme Rights X Anti-Europeans INDEPENDENCE

30 Less integration more integration Voting guidelines of EP members European Parliament Left - right

31 Example: What level of CO 2 is allowed to be auctioned to traders? PL (100) HU, CZ (40) LV, LT (20) CY, EE (20) SI, SK, MT (10) ES (100) DE (90) COM, FR, FI (75) IT, (40); EL (30) AT, LU, PT (20) NL (75) BE (40) UK (50) DK (50) EP (90) SE (70) IE (50) 0: No auctions of carbon credits should be allowed. Status quo 10: 3% of allocated carbon credits should be allowed to be auctioned. 30: 10% of allocated carbon credits should be allowed to be auctioned. 60: 50% of the allocated carbon credits should be allow to be auctioned. 70: Level of auctioning carbon credits should be higher than 50%. 100: 100% of allocated carbon credits should be allowed to be auctioned.

32 The World of Committee Reports in the EP: Member States

33 The World of Committee Reports in the EP: Party Groups

34 Costs, Benefits and Group Mobilization

35 Participation in European Elections

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37 Should member states opting out of a 48-hour working week be abolished? Low level of regularization and harmonization UK, CZ, EE, DE, IT, LV, MT, PL, SI, SK AT, DK, IE,LT,NL High level of regularization and harmonization COM EP, FR, ES, BE, CY, FI, EL, HU, LU, PT, SE Position 0: maintain opting out. Status quo 50: Introduce specific criteria in order to implement opting out on individual level. 80: define limited conditions that allow opting out for countries and sectors. Position 100: Abolish opting out.