National parliaments and governmental accountability in the crisis : theory and practice

Abstract

This contribution studies the question of governmental accountability in the crisis. It looks at how three Member State’s parliaments – French, German and Spanish – have exchanged on European Council meetings and Euro summits organized between 2010 and 2014. It first analyzes the formal obligations these Governments have in this domain before focusing on the practice; how National parliaments have used their prerogatives and how the established customary rules have compensated for the lack of formal rights in favour of National parliaments. Finally, some conclusions are drawn on the role of the established practice and its consequences and some potential prospects.