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Public Accountability in the European Union: Is the European Parliament able to hold the European Council accountable?

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  • van de Steeg, Marianne

Abstract

The European Council occupies a central role in European politics. Yet it is not officially accountable to any public or parliamentary body for the decisions it makes on behalf of European citizens. National parliaments are only entitled to exert control over their own Heads of Government or State. The European Parliament, as a supranational institution, is the only parliamentary body that regularly discusses European politics with the European Council as a collective, namely via the European Council Presidency. As such, it alone has the possibility to hold the Council accountable for the agreements made at European Summits. However, the European Parliament has limited rights to impose pressure on the European Council Presidency. Nonetheless, despite the lack of a formal accountability arrangement, the European Council Presidency is more forthcoming than could have been expected.

Suggested Citation

  • van de Steeg, Marianne, 2009. "Public Accountability in the European Union: Is the European Parliament able to hold the European Council accountable?," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:erp:eiopxx:p0169
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Grant, Ruth W. & Keohane, Robert O., 2005. "Accountability and Abuses of Power in World Politics," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 99(1), pages 29-43, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mark Bovens & Anchrit Wille, 2021. "Indexing watchdog accountability powers a framework for assessing the accountability capacity of independent oversight institutions," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(3), pages 856-876, July.
    2. Stie, Anne Elizabeth, 2010. "Decision-making Void of Democratic Qualities? An Evaluation of the EU’s Second Pillar Decision-making Procedure," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 14, August.
    3. Carlos Closa Montero & Felipe González de León & Gisela Hernández González, 2021. "Pragmatism and the Limits to the European Parliament’s Strategies for Self-Empowerment," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(3), pages 163-174.
    4. Carlos Closa, 2011. "Institutional Innovation in the EU: The ‘Permanent’ Presidency of the European Council," Working Papers 1106, Instituto de Políticas y Bienes Públicos (IPP), CSIC.

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