This paper focuses on the Spanish parliament (Cortes Generales, or just Cortes) and its role in the management of the Eurozone-crisis. Which measures does the Cortes Generales possess to scrutinize instruments of crisis management? Has it been actively using those to scrutinize European crisis management or has it been a mere rule taker? To answer these questions it is essential to look at the role of national parliaments in the EU system first. In a second step we want to have a closer look at the role of the parliament in the Spanish political system to better understand the then following part that is dealing with what scrutiny measures the Cortes possess and how actively it has been using them during the Eurozone-crisis.
During the last decades, the process of European integration has fundamentally changed patterns of governance in Europe and led to the establishment of a new institutional framework on the continent. The ongoing transfer of competencies from the national to the supranational level has created a multi-level governance system in which new institutions emerged and already existing ones are looking for a new role in this very complex system. Since the national parliaments represent the will of the citizens, they play a crucial role in legitimating decision-making at the EU level and therefore are under pressure to find ways of influencing EU policy. This is especially crucial since national executives to an increasing degree exercise legislative competencies at the EU level (namely in the EU Council) and as a consequence increasingly restrict national parliaments in influencing policy-making at the EU level.
The beginning of the European debt crisis in 2010 reinforced this tendency, since measures to counter the Eurozone-crisis, such as the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), intergovernmental treaties outside the legal framework of the EU like the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union (TSCG, also known as Fiscal Compact), and especially the European Semester strongly limit the national parliament’s key prerogative: budgetary authority. Since their legislative competencies have been limited, national parliaments have elaborated different mechanisms to scrutinize decision-making at the supranational level to ensure democratic legitimacy.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I INTRODUCTION
- II PARLIAMENTARY CONTROL IN THE EUROPEAN MULTI-LEVEL SYSTEM
- III EUROZONE-CRISIS AND INVOLVEMENT OF THE SPANISH NATIONAL PARLIAMENT IN EU AFFAIRS
- 1 THE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF SPAIN AND THE ROLE OF THE CORTES GENERALES IN EU AFFAIRS
- 2 EUROZONE-CRISIS AND SPANISH WAYS OF MANAGING IT
- 3 THE CORTES GENERALES' INVOLVEMENT IN SCRUTINY OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE EUROZONE-CRISIS
- IV CONCLUSION
- V BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the role of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales, in scrutinizing the management of the Eurozone-crisis. The paper aims to understand the mechanisms available to the Cortes for oversight and determine whether it has actively used these mechanisms to scrutinize European crisis management or simply acted as a rule taker.
- The impact of European integration on national parliaments and the rise of a multi-level governance system.
- The democratic deficit in the EU and the need for national parliaments to play a more active role in shaping EU policy.
- The challenges posed by the Eurozone-crisis to the role of national parliaments in budgetary authority and democratic legitimacy.
- The specific mechanisms available to the Cortes Generales for scrutinizing European crisis management.
- The extent to which the Cortes Generales has actively used these mechanisms to influence EU policy decisions.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins by examining the changing nature of governance in Europe, highlighting the transfer of competencies from the national to the supranational level and the emergence of a multi-level governance system. It then explores the role of national parliaments in this system, particularly the challenges they face in maintaining their influence and legitimacy in the face of the growing power of the EU executive. The paper focuses on the impact of the Eurozone-crisis on the relationship between national parliaments and the EU, demonstrating how the need for rapid decision-making has further strengthened the EU executive and limited the ability of national parliaments to exert control.
The paper then turns its attention to the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales, analyzing its structure and its traditional role in EU affairs. It examines the specific measures available to the Cortes for scrutinizing EU decision-making, including its ability to participate in legislative processes, ask questions of the government, and conduct investigations.
Finally, the paper explores the extent to which the Cortes Generales has actively used these mechanisms to scrutinize the management of the Eurozone-crisis. It considers whether the Cortes has been able to effectively influence EU policy decisions or whether it has been largely relegated to a passive role.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The paper focuses on the key concepts of parliamentary control, multi-level governance, the Eurozone-crisis, democratic deficit, and the role of national parliaments in shaping EU policy. It also examines the specific case of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales, and its mechanisms for scrutinizing EU decision-making.
- Quote paper
- Josephine Susan Götze (Author), 2015, The Cortes Generales in troubled times. The Eurozone-crisis and parliamentary involvement in EU-affairs, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/320550
