Familiar Fault Lines: The Myth of EP Independence in Economic Policy-making

The Lisbon Treaty expanded the scope and depth of the European Parliament’s powers by bringing the bulk of EU legislation under the ordinary legislative procedure, creating a bicameral legislature in the process, in which Council and the Parliament co-legislate. One consequence of this evolution is that the Parliament now faces more pressure from interest groups and Member States, which is threatening its institutional independence. The Parliament is increasingly being used as a political distraction, whose role it is to move the centre of policy debates towards a more extreme position. This is creating a new inter- institutional dynamic that does not produce the political outcomes Europe needs.