The Struggle of the European Parliament to Participate in the New Economic Governance

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the European Parliament's position in the aftermath of the reform of the economic governance in the European Union, in particular after the adoption of the “six-pack” and the “Fiscal Compact”. References are made to the involvement of the European Parliament in the decision-making process that led to the adoption of the new measures as well as to the substantive role assigned to this institution in the new regulatory framework. The paper argues that the new provisions, which actually limit the European Parliament’s “task” to the participation in the economic dialogue and in the interparliamentary co-operation, can jeopardise the effectiveness of the landmark principle of ‘No taxation without parliamentary representation’.