The Changing Role of Parliaments in the European Union

This publication contains some of the papers presented at a colloquium entitled 'The Changing Role of Parliaments in the European Union', which took place at the European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, The Netherlands, on 6-7 June 1994. Three of the chapters were written specifically for this book.
The book includes an introductory chapter by Gérard Laprat which places the problématique of the role of parliaments in a wider context. Then follow case studies on the evolving practices in France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy. Finally, the concluding chapter by Michael Shackleton looks towards the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference.
The question of the proper role of parliaments �" from the regional to the European level �" has been debated for a number of years. In the course of time parliaments have tended to increase their role and many expect this trend to continue in the future. How will this affect decision-making in the European Union? Is there a risk of it becoming a more cumbersome decision-making process as more actors are involved? Is it, on the other hand, necessary to improve the role of parliaments to increase the legitimacy of the Union? These questions will be debated again in connection with the 1996 IGC.