When internal Practices mould Powers The Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the European Parliament

Abstract

This paper looks at the various forms of the functioning of the Presidency of Council of the European Union in the European Parliament. This interaction stems from EU legislation and practical inter-institutional arrangements. The overarching aim is to tackle the myriad of interaction in an analytical-descriptive way and shed light on the implications of these practices. The conclusion of this paper suggests that the internal rules of the European Parliament, most notably the rules of procedure, have had an impact on power relations at the expense of the Council although there is no EU primary law legal basis for Council accountability to the European Parliament. These mainly internally driven rules of the European Parliament have contributed to the practical environment for the functioning of the rotating Presidency in the European Parliament hence triggering spillover of tasks for the Presidency. The changes in the power relations may also have repercussions on the competence dimension in the longer term.