European Parliament: MEPs, Powers, and Influence

• MEPs must be citizens of a member state and cannot be currently incarcerated.
• Seats in the European Parliament (EP) are distributed based on geographic proportionality.
• There are currently eight political groups in the EP, each with a leader and co-leader.

Becoming an MEP

• Challenges of becoming an MEP include competitiveness and a structural problem of low voter turnout, where people prioritize national elections.
• The EP was established in 1952 as the Common Assembly of the ECSC and evolved into an elected body in 1979.
• The Lisbon Treaty gave the EP more powers, making it a co-legislator with the Council.
• The Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP) involves the EP co-deciding with the Council, often through informal meetings called trilogues.

Influence of the EP

• Legislative and policy-making powers require the EP's agreement for a proposal to become law.
• Budgetary influence includes co-decision with the Council on the annual budget and monitoring budget execution.
• Supervisory and control powers encompass the Spitzenkandidaten process for appointing the Commission President.
• The EP can also draft treaty changes.

Influence of an Individual MEP

• Eurosceptic MEPs include absentees, orators, pragmatists, and participants.
• Absentee MEPs show the dysfunctionality of the EU by being weakly involved and promoting Euroscepticism nationally.
• Orator MEPs are vocal in the EP, dramatically promoting Euroscepticism and bringing national issues into debates, blaming the EU.
• Pragmatist MEPs offer constructive opposition, respect EU rules, and use the EP to solve national problems.
• Participant MEPs aim to influence European legislation, adapt to the rules, accept compromise, and cooperate.
• The presence of Eurosceptic MEPs contributes to the EP's legitimacy.

EP's Role

• By OLP the EP co-decides with the Council of the EU the EP is a genuine co-legislator with the council
• OLP includes three readings of legislation and needs the EP's agreement for a proposal to become law.
• Conciliation occurs when the Council cannot accept amendments proposed by the EP at the second reading.
• If no agreement, the legislation fails, or the EP can veto the proposal.
• Decisions are increasingly taken in smaller informal meetings at first or second reading via "early agreements".
• It can ask the Commission to make proposals via own-initiative reports.
• The EP has the right to consent to international and trade agreements.

Concerns and Responses to Legislative Procedures

• Transparency is an issue because of small groups meeting behind closed doors, along with there being limited opportunity for input from relevant EP committees or wider plenary.
• Amended rules ensure negotiating teams act on a mandate from the parent committee or plenary.
• The European Ombudsman launched an inquiry into trilogue transparency.
• The Inter-Institutional Agreement on Better Law-Making brings together agreements and updates them, aims to produce clear and transparent legislation, and clarifies prerogatives of each institution and cooperation methods.

Supervisory and Control Powers

• Holding the commission to account includes the right to appoint, dismiss, and scrutinize the Commission.
• The Spitzenkandidaten process appoints the Commission president.
• A vote of approval by the EP and the right to veto the college of Commissioners.

Drafting Treaty Changes

• Treaty changes bring more democratic accountability and involvement of supranational actors.

EP Structure

• The EP President represents the Parliament in external negotiations and meetings
• MEPs are elected for 5 years and are part of political groups that control appointments to important positions and set the EP's agenda.
• Committees are repositories of policy expertise which enable the Parliament to exercise legislative power and hold the EU's executive to account.
• Committee chairs organize and run committee meetings.
• Rapporteurs shape their political group's opinion in the reports and represent the Parliament in inter-institutional negotiations under the OLP.

European Elections

• European Elections are every 5 years
• Elections are on the basis of proportional representation
• Diversity in trends in turnout rates because European elections are often considered second order elections.
• Expressing dissatisfaction with national governments = small parties are more successful in EU elections than in national ones.
• Legitimacy is challenged by low turnout rates, popularity of Eurosceptic parties, rise of radical left and right parties, crises, democratic deficit.

Evolving Power of the EP

• Since 1979, direct elections occur every five years since.
• In the treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam, formal recognition of the EP's right to appoint commission came
• Gave EP right to veto the Commission-President -designate and the whole team of the Commissioners

Lisbon Treaty

• European political parties nominate lead candidates (Spitzenkandidaten) for Commission President before elections.
• Candidates campaign across the EU, presenting their political programs.
• The lead candidate of the party winning the most seats or able to secure a majority coalition is proposed for Commission President.
• Ursula von der Leyen was appointed as the new commission president due to Manfred Weber failing to secure the support of the council which lead to the death of Spitzenkandidaten.

Scrutiny Limitations

• The EP can invite Commissioners, Commission officials, and Council presidency representatives to committee meetings.
• The Commission submits its annual work programme to the EP.
• The EP's main leverage over the Commission is through appointment and dismissal powers.
• Council members are held accountable by their national parliaments, not the EP.
• It's unlikely the Council would insist on keeping a High Representative candidate without EP majority support.

Legislative Power

• OLP makes the EP a genuine co-legislator with the council
• The OLP involves three readings of legislation and needs the EP's agreement for a proposal to become law.
• Formal conciliation process is introduced after the second reading if the EP and Council cannot agree.
• Conciliation involves a committee with same sized delegations from the Council and EP, facilitated by the Commission.
• If no agreement is reached, the legislation falls, or the EP can veto the proposal (though this power is rarely exercised).
• Enhanced inter-institutional relationship between the Council and Parliament leads to improved efficiency in reaching agreements.

Transparency Issues - Responses

• Transparency issues exist since decisions are increasingly taken in smaller informal meetings at first or second reading via "early agreements". These concerns include small groups meeting behind closed doors, as well as limited opportunity for input from relevant EP committees or wider plenary.
• Response to the transparency issues include amended rules to procedure to ensure negotiating team acts on a mandate from the parent committee or plenary. The the European Ombudsman launched an inquiry into trilogue transparency. Moreover, the Inter-Institutional Agreement on Better Law-Making brings together pre-existing agreements and updates them, clarifies prerogatives of each institution and cooperation methods, and aims to produce clear and transparent legislation.

Council Functions

• Representative of each member state at ministerial level who commits the member state
• Supported by Council General Secretariat and EEAS for FAC
• Decides increasingly by QMV
• Distinguished from the European council and council of Europe