EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT STUDY Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT Policy Department External Policies THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN SCRUTINISING AND INFLUENCING TRADE POLICY External Policies DECEMBER 2005 EN DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EXTERNAL POLICIES OF THE UNION DIRECTORATE B -POLICY DEPARTMENT - STUDY on THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN SCRUTINISING AND INFLUENCING TRADE POLICY - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS - Abstract: The study covers most important aspects of national parliaments' involvement in trade issues, including the WTO parliamentary conference and interparliamentary relations. It examines parliaments' working style, "legislative-executive relations", the channels of parliamentary scrutiny and the general impact of parliaments' activities on government policy and WTO outcomes. The study includes 11 country studies on the trade scrutiny activities and competences of parliamentary bodies in the United States, Mexico, Australia, Russia, South Africa, Iran, Thailand, Switzerland, India, Brazil and Japan. DV\603690EN.doc PE 370-166v01-00 This study was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade This paper is published in the following languages: English Author: Dr Andreas Maurer, Project Leader Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Berlin Manuscript completed in December 2005 Copies can be obtained through: E-mail: [email protected] Brussels, European Parliament, 19 December 2005 The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. DV\603690EN.doc PE 370-166v01-00 -2- SWP German Institute for International and Security Affairs Ludwigkirchplatz 3-4 D – 10719 Berlin Team Leader: Dr. Andreas Maurer Phone: +49-30-88007201 Fax: +49-30-88007100 GSM: +49-1703809615 E-Mail: [email protected] The Role of Parliaments in Scrutinising and Influencing Trade Policy A Comparative Analysis Report by German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Andreas Maurer, resp.) under Contract No. EP/ExPol/B/2005/09 DV\603690EN.doc PE 370-166v01-00 -3- I. INTRODUCTION: THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS WITHIN THE WTO................................................6 1. STEPS TOWARDS A PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION OF THE WTO – FROM BANGKOK TO BRUSSELS....................7 2. THE IMPERATIVE AND NATURE OF A PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION TO THE WTO ..............................................8 3. METHODOLOGY:EXPLORING THE PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION OF THE WTO’SSYSTEMOFMULTI-LEVEL AND MULTI-ACTOR GOVERNANCE ..............................................................................................................................9 II. FINDINGS AND PERSPECTIVES....................................................................................................................12 1. KEY FEATURES OF PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY AND INFLUENCE ......................................................................13 1.1. Parliaments’ working style and its adaptation to the WTO/ITO context .................................................14 1.2. Executive-legislature relations....................................................................................................................14 1.3. The basic orientation of parliaments’ scrutiny efforts in the multi-level ITO context. ...........................15 1.4. The Scope of Information ............................................................................................................................16 1.5. Timing and management of scrutiny...........................................................................................................16 1.6. Impact of scrutiny on government’s policy ................................................................................................16 1.7. Openness towards inter-parliamentary linkages .......................................................................................17 2. PERSPECTIVES FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ..............................................................................................20 III. COUNTRY STUDIES .........................................................................................................................................21 1. THE US CONGRESS AND TRADE POLICY.............................................................................................................21 1.1. The constitutional role of the US Congress in trade policy......................................................................21 1.2. Parliamentary procedure ............................................................................................................................21 1.3. Congressional Committees..........................................................................................................................23 1.4. Congressional working methods.................................................................................................................23 2. MEXICO .................................................................................................................................................................24 2.1. The Mexican Parliament .............................................................................................................................24 2.2. Parliament’s mandate and parliamentary procedures with regard to ITO politics................................25 2.3. Parliamentary working methods.................................................................................................................26 2.4. Composition and appointment of members of parliamentary committees ...............................................26 2.5. Interaction with other parliamentary bodies and external bodies, including civil society.....................26 3. THE PARLIAMENT OF AUSTRALIA........................................................................................................................27 3.1. Types of parliamentary body with competences in the area of trade .......................................................27 3.1.1. Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee.........................................................................27 3.1.2. House Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ....................................................27 3.1.3. Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade ......................................................28 3.1.4. Joint Standing Committee on Treaties ....................................................................................................28 3.2. Parliament’s mandate and parliamentary procedures..............................................................................28 3.3. Parliamentary working methods.................................................................................................................29 3.4. Composition and appointment of members of the parliamentary committees.........................................29 3.5. Interaction with other parliamentary bodies and civil society .................................................................30 4. THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT .................................................................................................................................30 4.1. Parliaments’ mandate, and parliamentary procedures.............................................................................30 4.2. Parliamentary working methods.................................................................................................................31 4.3. Composition and appointment of members of the parliamentary committees.........................................31 4.4. Interaction with other parliamentary bodies and external bodies ...........................................................32 5. THE PARLIAMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA ..................................................................................................................33 5.1. Parliament’s mandate, and parliamentary procedures.............................................................................34 5.2. Working methods .........................................................................................................................................35 5.3. Composition and appointment of members of the parliamentary committee ..........................................35 5.4. Interaction with other bodies ......................................................................................................................36 6. IRAN’S ISLAMIC CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY AND ITS RELATIVE POWER IN TRADE POLICY..............................36 6.1. Quorum, composition and structure of Parliament...................................................................................37 6.2. Parliament’s mandate, and parliamentary procedures.............................................................................37 6.3. Relative Power in Trade Policy and Economic Affairs.............................................................................38 6.4. Parliamentary working methods.................................................................................................................38 6.5. Interaction with other bodies, including civil society................................................................................39 DV\603690EN.doc PE 370-166v01-00 -4- 7. THE THAI PARLIAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE ORGANISATIONS ...........................................................39