"This book looks at the evolution of the European Parliament from a wide number of angles and in depth. It well illuminates how this fascinating and unique institution - the worlds first experiment in trans-national democracy - continues to innovate, to surprise and to have a significant impact in ways (both positive and negative) that were not always predicted."

-Richard Corbett, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, UK Labour Party leader in the European Parliament

"Does the European Parliament effectively represent Europe's citizens in the legislative process? Is the EP a check on the governments, big member states, or big business? If the EP has become so powerful, why hasn't the EU's democratic deficit been solved? This book answers these and many other questions, extensively reviewing existing findings and setting agendas for future research. This is essential reading for scholars of European politics"

-Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics, UK

This book assesses the changes that have occurred within the European Parliament and its external relations since the Lisbon treaty (2009) and the last European elections (2014). It is undoubtedly the institution that has evolved the most since the 1950s. Despite the crises experienced by European integration in the last years, the Parliament is still undergoing important changes in its formal competences, its influence on policy-making, its relations with other EU institutions, its internal organisation and its internal political dynamics. Every contribution analyses the most recent aspects of these evolutions and addresses overlooked topics, providing an overview of the current state of play which challenges the mainstream intergovernmental approach of the EU.

This project results from research conducted at the Department of European Political and Governance Studies of the College of Europe. Individual research of several policy analysts of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has contributed to this endeavour.

Olivier Costa is Research Professor at the CNRS, Bordeaux, France and Director of European Political and Governance Studies at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium. He is co-director of the European Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence of Aquitaine.

Autorentext
Olivier Costa is Research Professor at the CNRS, Bordeaux, France and Director of European Political and Governance Studies at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium. He is Co-Director of the European Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence of Aquitaine. His research interests include EU institutions and policies, European Parliament, French Parliament and comparative legislative politics.

Zusammenfassung
This book assesses the many changes that have occurred within the European Parliament and in its external relations since the Lisbon treaty (2009) and the last European elections (2014). It is undoubtedly the institution that has evolved the most since the 1950s. Despite the many crises experienced by European integration in the last years, the Parliament is still undergoing important changes in its formal competences, its influence on policy-making, its relations with other EU institutions, its internal organisation and its internal political dynamics. Every contribution deals with the most recent aspects of these evolutions and addresses overlooked topics, providing an overview of the current state of play which challenges the mainstream intergovernmental approach of the EU. This project results from research conducted at the Department of European Political and Governance Studies of the College of Europe. Individual research of several policy analysts of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) have contributed to this endeavour.

Inhalt
List of Figures and TablesAcknowledgments Notes on Contributors
Introduction: The need for further research on the European ParliamentOlivier Costa

Part I The EP and the EU Political System
1Parliamentary oversight: Challenges facing classic scrutiny instruments and the emergence of new forms of 'steering' scrutinyEva-Maria Poptcheva
2 The European Parliament and the European Council. A shift in the balance of power?Wolfgang Wessels, Johannes Müller Gomez and Johannes Wolters
3 The CJEU and the Parliament's powers since Lisbon. Judicial support to representative democracy?Sabine Saurugger and Fabien Terpan
4 The relationship between the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament: an evolving relationship?François Decoster, Jennifer Rousselle and Vincent Delhomme

Part II The EP in the EU Policy Making
5 Taming Trilogues The EU's Law-Making Process in a Comparative PerspectiveJustin Greenwood and Christilla Roederer-Rynning
6 The European Parliament and EU secondary legislation: Improved Scrutiny Practices and Upstream Involvement for Delegated Acts and Implementing ActsVicky Marissen 7 Out of balance? Practical experience with quasi-legislative Delegated Acts 2009-2017Michael Kaeding
8 The European Parliament's contribution to the EU Budget: a power gameAnne Vitrey and Frederik Mesdag
Part III The EP Politics
9 The European Parliament and Civil SocietyAmandine Crespy and Louisa Parks
10 Parliamentary questions and representation of territorial interest in the EPNathalie Brack and Olivier Costa
11 The arduous way towards a uniform electoral system for the European ParliamentRudolf Hrbek
12 Euroscepticism at the EP Elections in 2014: A Reflection of the Different Patterns of Opposition to the EU?Birte Wassenberg
13 Migration Policy Debates in the European Parliament. Does the Mainstream Right stand its Ground?Brice Cristoforetti and Lara Querton 14 Possible Future European Union Party Political SystemsMartin Westlake

Part IV The EP and EU Policies
15 Reforming the European Parliament's Monetary and Economic Dialogues: Creating Accountability Through a Eurozone Oversight SubcommitteeDermot Hodson and Michele Chang
16 The European Parliament and the energy poverty: Such a long way to develop a distinctive voice in the Energy UnionFrédérique Berrod, Louis Navé and Samuel Verschraegen
17 Parliamentary Diplomacy: Democracy support at the European ParliamentBeatrix Immenkamp and Naja Bentzen
18 The European Parliament in Security and Defence: The Parliamentary Contribution to the European Defence UnionElena Lazarou 19 The European Parliament's role in monitoring the implementation of EU trade policyLaura Puccio and Roderick Harte