These slides where created as part of the European Union Course taught by Franziska Lindhout at Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

1. European Parliament: A loaded Chamber

4. Building
Parliament
Lisbonisation Looking Ahead

5. Building Parliament:
50 years of European Parliament Histor

6. Building Parliament….

7. Lisbonization of the European Parliament
Legislative Process:
Consultation
Cooperation
Co-decision
Ordinary
legislative
procedure
• Consent: Agreements with non-EU countries.
• Right of initiative?
• Consultation: Tax,Foreign Policy
• Professional qualifications recognition
• Stricter Product safety and labelling standards.
• Transparency and supervision of the European
financial system.
• Rejection of liberalizing port services
and software patents.

8. Organization of the European Parliament
• Informal ExchangesIntergroup
• Caucus according to Transnational groups
based on IdeologyPolitical Groups
• Conference of Presidents, Conference of
Committee Chairs.Political Bodies
• Role in International PresenceDelegates
• 20 Standing committees, with size of 20-80
MEP’s
Committees
MEP President

9. European Law Making-Another day in the office
Calendar divided into
Focus on debates and votes: Legislative,
Budgetary, Non-Legislative
Culmination of the work done in the
committee.
Speaking time
The Voting Marathon
Question time for the
Commission/Council

13. Budgetary Process:
• Amount is fixed periodically by an agreement as a % of the GNI.
• Pre Lisbon:‘Non compulsory’ and ‘compulsory’ expenditures.
• ‘Budget Discharge’ procedure to close the budget books.

14. A €1tn scandal or money well spent
 Common Agriculture Policy (CAP):France protects
Subsidies
 Britain preserves it’s subsidies
 Germany holds down on total spending.
 2/5 th of the cohesion funds go to countries with
GDP per head >90% of GNI.
 400 mil Euro investment in Poland’s Airports.

15. Supervision
Oversight Responsibilities

16. Growing Influence and Challenges
• Establishment of European External Action
Service
• Inter-institutional Rivalry
• Lack of transparency on MEP spending
• Consolidation of operations in one city ?
• 45% citizens have a neutral view while 26%
have a negative view.
• More Powerful, less legitimate?

17. PARTY GROUPS IN THE EUROPEAN
UNION
• Organizations following a political programme.
• National parties and individuals as members.
• 7 major groups in EP 7.

18. GROUP OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE'S
PARTY (CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS)
• Centre-right, Pro European group.
• Majority in European Council – 14 out of 28
members
• Majority in EU Parliament - 275 MEPs(36% of the
seats in EP7.)
• European Commission – 13 out of 28 members.

19. PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE OF
SOCIALISTS AND DEMOCRATS
• Political Group of Party of European Socialists
(PES)
• Centre Left – Social Democratic Party
• Second largest group in EU Parliament – 195
MEPs

20. ALLIANCE OF LIBERALS AND DEMOCRATS FOR
EUROPE(ALDE)
• Transnational alliance – the ALDE party and
European Democratic Party.
• Espouses neo-liberal economies,
• Supports European Integration and a single market
for Europe.
• Third Largest Party in EU Parliament – 85 MEPs.

21. GREENS – EUROPEAN FREE
ALLIANCE GROUP
• Political group containing green and rationalist parties.
• The group espouses centre-left views.
• The fourth biggest group in the parliament with 58
MEPs.
• The group consists of two distinct European political
parties – the European Green Party (EGP) and the
European Free Alliance (EFA)
• Apart from this, the group is joined by a few national
parties

22. EUROPEAN CONSERVATIVES AND
REFORMISTS
• Conservative, anti-federalist and Eurosceptic
political group.
• 5th largest group in Parliament – 57 MEPs.
• Founded after June 2009 elections.
• Based on Movement for European Reform.
• Espouses Central Right to Right Wing policies.

23. EUROPEAN UNITED LEFT – NORDIC
GREEN LEFT GROUP
• Formed in 1995
• Left wing political party.
• Opposed to the present European political
structure
• Committed to European integration
• EP 7 – 35 MEPs

24. EUROPE FOR FREEDOM AND
DEMOCRACY GROUP
• Formed after European Parliament Election in
2009.
• Espouses Right-Wing policies
• The group most hostile to EU integration.
• EP 7 – 35 MEPs

25. EU ELECTIONS – THIS TIME IT’S DIFFERENT
EU ELECTIONS 2014

26. EU PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS 2014
• First elections after Lisbonization of EU Parliament.
• First elections after the Eurozone Crisis – Anti EU Wave
on the rise?

27. Feb – Mar May 22-25 June July
Aug-SepOct - Nov

28. EP ELECTIONS -VOTING
SYSTEM
Each member state free to choose its own system,
subject to –
• System of Proportional Representation – Party
List or Single Transferrable Vote System.
• The electoral area may be subdivided if this will
not generally affect the proportional nature of
the voting system
• Any election threshold at the national level must
not exceed five percent.

29. EP ELECTIONS 2014

30. LEGACY OF LETHARGY
• Low voter turnout a cause for worry.
• Elections 2014 - Test of faith in the European Project.

31. BELGIUM 90.39
DENMARK 59.54
GERMANY 43.3
IRELAND 58.64
FRANCE 40.63
ITALY 65.05
LUXEMBOURG 90.75
NETHERLANDS 36.75
UK 34.7
GREECE 52.61
SPAIN 44.9
PORTUGAL 36.78
SWEDEN 45.53
AUSTRIA 45.97
FINLAND 40.3
CZECH
REUBLIC
28.2
ESTONIA 43.9
CYPRUS 59.4
LITHUANIA 20.98
LATVIA 53.7
HUNGARY 36.31
MALTA 78.79
POLAND 24.53
SLOVENIA 28.33
SLOVAKIA 19.64
BULGARIA 38.99
ROMANIA 27.67
Total EU 43
TURNOUT BY COUNTRY

32. EP ELECTIONS 2014 – WHAT’S WITH
ALL THE FUSS ABOUT TURNOUT?
• Food for thought - What does a turnout lower
than 2009 mean? Why would it be a cause for
worry?
• Lisbon Treaty – Higher powers for European
Parliament – “More at stake”
• Eurozone Crisis – Should drive an increase in
turnout!
• A further decrease would reflect a dwindling
faith in the EU!!
• Weakens the democratic legitimacy of the EU.

33. EXPLAINING THE LOW VOTER TURNOUT
• Alienation – “Less at stake” argument.
• Indifference.
Figure: Predicted probabilities
of voting at EP Elections
(Source :
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2012/08/0
9/turnout-european-parliament/)

34. EP ELECTIONS – SECOND ORDER
NATIONAL ELECTIONS?
• So far, most of the elections have been decided
on national issues.
• Used by citizens to punish their governments
mid-term.

35. DEBATE: POLITICISING THE COMMISSION

36. POLITICISING THE COMMISSION :
ARGUMENTS
FOR
• Citizens of Europe
have a direct say in
selection of the
commission.
• Enhance the
democratic
credentials of the
Commission.
• Might act as an
incentive to vote.
AGAINST
• Clash between
European Council
and EP – Majority
needed in both
places!
• Overly politicised –
independence and
neutrality could be
compromised.

37. EP ELECTIONS 2014 – RISE OF THE
POPULIST RIGHT?

38. THE GREAT VODKA
DEBATE
• Vodka must be clearly defined in
the same way as it has been done
for other hard liquors.
• Protection of the quality and the
originality of the product.
• Hamper innovation.
• An attempt to monopolize
the vodka market by the
Vodka Belt
• Threat of trade wars.
• Traditionalists maintain that
each good vodka has its own
distinct flavour.The Schnellhardt compromise