The five roles of the Cortes Generales in EU affairs

Abstract

Considering the context of democratic deficit in the European Union, the growing Europeanisation of national legislation and, therefore, the need to understand the role of National Parliaments in the EU architecture, this study analyses the role of the Cortes Generales in EU affairs. To this end, it examines the tools through which the five main functions of national parlia­ments in European affairs are implemented: legislation, scrutiny, deliberation, expertise and networking. To this end, it examines the formal capacities and actual activity of the Cortes Generales, traditionally categorised as a weak parliament in European affairs, in each of these roles. The study reveals that, despite advances in political dialogue with the European Commission and participation in interparliamentary cooperation, the Spanish Parliament continues to play a very limited role in influencing European legislation, and underutilises the tools at its disposal in terms of monitoring, information and control. Furthermore, roles tend to be informal, and tasks tend to be concentrated in the Joint Committee for the EU. The article concludes that institutional adaptation to European integration has been more reactive than proactive, and that a greater role in European issues requires internal reforms and better use of available tools.