Parliaments and Parliamentary Elections in Europe

Sarah Simonsen May 5th, 2015
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??????????MWP-RSCAS joint conference

Organized by
Cristina Fasone (LAW Fellow), Diane Fromage (LAW Fellow),
Zoe Lefkofridi (MW-JM Fellow and University of Salzburg)

Tuesday 24 March 2015, 9:00-18:00

  Villa La Fonte, Sala delle Conference

Abstract:

How has the role of Parliaments – the European Parliament (EP) and the national parliaments- evolved since the beginning of the European integration process? What is the current state of the art in terms of functions performed and powers and of their democratic elections? In pursuit of these questions, this Joint MWP/RSCAS Conference brings together scholars from different disciplines – history, law, and political science.

Such an interdisciplinary reflection is particularly necessary now given the tensions to which Parliaments in Europe are currently subject: more and more complex decision-making processes between the European and the national level; increasing rule-making powers of the executives and administrations; the powers of national parliaments under the Treaty of Lisbon; the judicialization of politics; the populist challenge and the role of media; channels of direct and of participatory democracy; low voter turnout and political disaffection. Issues that will be addressed during the conference will be:

  • Parliamentary accountability and its crisis in Europe
  • Democratic elections: making sense of the parliamentary mandate
  • Parliamentary functions
  • The inter-institutional balance in trouble
  • Political constitutionalism in the EU
  • Parliaments and the control of compliance with the principle of subsidiarity

Programme (pdf)