Engaging with Europe Evaluating national parliamentary control of EU decision making after the Lisbon Treaty Part I: Report of findings Institute for Management Research Radboud University Nijmegen December 2014 Dr. Ellen Mastenbroek (IMR, RU Nijmegen) Dr. Pieter Zwaan (IMR, RU Nijmegen) Afke Groen, MSc (Political Science, Maastricht University) Dr. Wim van Meurs (Political History, RU Nijmegen) Dr. Hilde Reiding (Center for Parliamentary History, RU Nijmegen) Nora Dörrenbächer, MSc (IMR, RU Nijmegen) Prof. Dr. Christine Neuhold (Political Science, Maastricht University) Table of contents 1 | Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background.......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem definition .............................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Analytical framework .......................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Method and data ................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 Outline ................................................................................................................................. 8 2 | EU scrutiny in the Tweede Kamer .................................................................................... 9 2.1 Background.......................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Institutional framework .................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Actual functioning ............................................................................................................. 14 2.4 Conditions for use of the subsidiarity test ........................................................................ 16 2.5 Effectiveness of the EWS instrument ................................................................................ 18 2.6 Conditions for effectiveness of the EWS ........................................................................... 19 2.7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 22 3 | Facts and figures (EU-28) .............................................................................................. 24 3.1 Instruments for EU scrutiny .............................................................................................. 24 3.2 Use of reasoned opinions and political dialogue .............................................................. 28 3.3 Conditions for use ............................................................................................................. 30 3.4 Cooperation ....................................................................................................................... 33 3.5 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 38 4 | Experiences in nine parliaments ................................................................................... 40 4.1 Institutional framework .................................................................................................... 40 4.2 Actual functioning ............................................................................................................. 45 4.3 Conditions for use ............................................................................................................. 46 4.4 Effectiveness ..................................................................................................................... 49 4.5 Cooperation ....................................................................................................................... 52 4.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 55 5 | Experiences: The view of the European institutions ....................................................... 57 5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 57 5.2 European Commission ...................................................................................................... 57 5.3 European Parliament......................................................................................................... 60 5.4 Effects ................................................................................................................................ 63 5.5 Points for improvement .................................................................................................... 64 5.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 67 6 | Experiences: Austria ..................................................................................................... 69 6.1 Background........................................................................................................................ 69 6.2 Instruments, procedures and actual functioning .............................................................. 70 6.3 Conditions for use ............................................................................................................. 76 6.4 Effectiveness: Perceived effects ........................................................................................ 78 6.5 Conditions for effectiveness of the EWS ........................................................................... 79 6.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 80 7 | Experiences: Germany .................................................................................................. 83 7.1 Background........................................................................................................................ 83 7.2 Instruments, procedures and actual functioning .............................................................. 84 7.3 Conditions for use ............................................................................................................. 86 7.4 Effectiveness ..................................................................................................................... 88 7.5 Intra-parliamentary cooperation ...................................................................................... 89 7.6 Inter-parliamentary cooperation (IPC) .............................................................................. 90 7.7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 91 8 | Experiences: Sweden .................................................................................................... 93 8.1 Background........................................................................................................................ 93 8.2 Instruments, procedures and actual functioning .............................................................. 95 8.3 Conditions for use ........................................................................................................... 100 8.4 Effectiveness ................................................................................................................... 101 8.5 Inter-parliamentary cooperation (IPC) ............................................................................ 103 8.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 104 Appendix 1 | List of respondents ...................................................................................... 106 Country experts ..................................................................................................................... 106 Respondents .......................................................................................................................... 106 Appendix 2 | Patterns in use of EU instruments ................................................................ 109 Appendix 3 | Types of inter-parliamentary meetings ........................................................ 112 Appendix 4 | List of abbreviations .................................................................................... 115 1 | Introduction 1.1 Background European integration has important consequences for national policy making, both through legislation, and softer measures like recommendations and the Open Method of Coordination. For this reason, national parliaments have strengthened their position in the European policy making process. This is exemplified by the Dutch Tweede Kamer, which over time has developed an extensive toolkit to be ‘on top of Europe’1 that has resulted in a comparatively strong position in European affairs.2 Initially, this toolkit primarily contained indirect instruments, aimed at scrutinizing and controlling the position of the national government in EU negotiations rather than engaging directly in the process of EU decision making. The Treaty of Lisbon added a new dimension to this process of Europeanization of national parliaments.