Abstract

The role of national parliaments in European integration is a topical issue in current political and academic debates. Within the political debate this is exemplified by the fact that national parliaments were given further opportunities to influence EU decision-making via the Lisbon Treaty. Very little research has been done on the question of how institutional reforms and legal stipulations actually impact on the role of national parliaments within the political process. This project seeks to fill this gap, gathering data on parliamentary involvement in EU Affairs across all 27 Member States, as well as conducting in-depth research on specific issues such as the legislative performance of national parliaments and the role of parliamentary administrations. Moreover the stipulations enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty on national parliaments will be put to the test. These more empirical insights will feed into the more normative and very topical debate on the status of national parliaments in the quest of overcoming problems of democratic legitimacy within the EU system of governance.