Will the Real Scrutinizer Please Stand Up? The Role and Control of the French European Affairs Committee Over Its Executive
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26481/marble.2022.v1.877Keywords:
Parliament, France, Committee, oversight, EU politicsAbstract
While traditionally considered the losers of European integration, scholars argue that national parliaments have clawed their way back to European affairs. The Lisbon Treaty has also sought to formally empower the national legislatures. However, little academic attention has focused on studying through which channels national parliaments have a say in the supranational arena. This explorative research aims at tackling this issue by analyzing what role the French European Affairs Committee (EAC) plays in EU affairs’ scrutiny and control of the executive. Through a qualitative design based on interviews with EAC members and content analysis, this paper shows that this French committee makes use of police-patrol oversight, rather than fire-alarm scrutiny to follow its executive’s behavior in the EU. However, the EAC remains legislatively powerless in the face of EU negotiations in the Council. Interviews reveal nonetheless that this is not perceived as a problem, as many respondents explain that national interests align at the supranational level, regardless of one’s political affiliation. This contradicts the argument of the importance of opposition in scrutinizing executive conduct. Instead, the French EAC is best conceived as an information hub, for other deputies and citizens, which reinforces the communicative function of the national legislature. This, in turn, questions the legitimacy of empowering national parliaments to solve the democratic deficit of the EU.
References
Assemblée Nationale (2018). Rapport d’information déposé par la commission des affaires européennes sur le rôle des parlements nationaux dans le processus décisionnel européen [Information report conducted by the European Affairs Committee on the role of national parliaments in the decision-making process of the EU]. Quinzième legislature, 2017-2018(1123). https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/15/autres-commissions/commission-des-affaires-europeennes
Assemblée Nationale (2020). Bilan d’activité de la commission des affaires européennes, Août 2019 – juillet 2020 [Activity report of the European affairs committee, August 2019 – July 2020]. Retrieved online from: https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/15/autres-commissions/commission-des-affaires-europeennes
Assemblée Nationale (2021). Rapport d’information déposé par la Commission des affaires européennes sur les méthodes de transposition des directives européennes. [Information report conducted by the European Affairs Committee on the transposition methods of European directives]. Quinzième legislature, 2020-2021(4095). Retrieved online from: https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/15/autres-commissions/commission-des-affaires-europeennes
Assemblée Nationale (n.d.). Commission des affaires européennes [European affaires committee]. https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/15/autres-commissions/commission-des-affaires-europeennes
Auel, K. (2019). National Parliaments and the European Union. European Governance and Public Finance, Institute for Advanced Studies. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1490
Auel, K. & Neuhold, C. (2017). Multi-arena players in the making? Conceptualizing the role of national parliaments since the Lisbon Treaty. Journal of European Public Policy, 24(10), 1547-1561. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2016.1228694
Auel, K., & Neuhold, C. (2018). Europeanisation’ of National Parliaments in European Union Member States: Experiences and Best-Practices. The Greens/EFA Group.
Auel, K., & Raunio, T. (2014). Debating the State of the Union? Comparing Parliamentary Debates on EU Issues in Finland, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Journal of Legislative Studies, 20(1), 12-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2013.871482
Auel, K., Eisele, O., & Kinski, L. (2016). From constraining to catalysing dissensus? The impact of political contestation on parliamentary communication in EU affairs. Comparative European Politics, 14(2), 154-176.
Auel, K., Rozenberg, O., & Tacea, A. (2015a). Fighting Back? And, If So, How? Measuring Parliamentary Strength and Activity in EU Affairs. In C. Hefftler, C. Neuhold, O. Rozenberg, & J. Smith (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union (pp.60-93). Palgrave Macmillan.
Auel, K., Rozenberg, O., & Tacea, A. (2015b). To Scrutinise or Not to Scrutinise? Explaining Variation in EU-Related Activities in National Parliaments. West European Politics, 38(2), 282-304. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2014.990695
Berry, J. M. (2002). Validity and Reliability Issues in Elite Interviewing. PS: Political Sciences and Politics, 35(4), 679-682.
Boeije, H. (2009). Analysis in Qualitative Research. SAGE.
Christiansen, T., Högenauer, A.L. und Neuhold, C. (2014) The Europeanisation of National Parliaments Post-Lisbon: Bureaucratisation and Transnationalisation Rather Than More Democracy in the European Union? Comparative European Politics, 12(2), 121-140.
Cooper, I. (2012). A “Virtual Third Chamber” for the European Union? National parliaments after the Treaty of Lisbon, West European Politics 35(3), 441-465. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2012.665735
European Ombudsman (2018, May 16). Special Report of the European Ombudsman in strategic inquiry OI/2/2017/TE on the transparency of the Council legislative process. European Ombudsman. www.ombudsman.europa.eu.
European Union (EU) (2007). Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community. Official journal of the European Union, C 206/01. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:FULL:EN:PDF
Finke, D. & Dannwolf, T. (2013). Domestic scrutiny of European Union politics: Between whistle blowing and opposition control. European Journal of Political Research, 52(6), 715-746. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12014
Finke, D. & Herbel, A. (2015). Beyond rules and resources: Parliamentary scrutiny of EU policy proposals. European Union Politics, 16(4), 490-513. https://doi.org/10.1177/1465116515584202
Follesdal, A. & Hix, S. (2006). Why There is a Democratic Deficit in the EU: A Response to Majone and Moravcsik. Journal of Common Market Studies, 44(3), 533-562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2006.00650.x
French Republic (2015). Constitution de la République française. Assemblée Nationale. Retrieved online from: https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/connaissance/constitution.asp
Gerring, J. (2004). What is a Case Study and What is it Good For? American Political Science Review, 98(2), 341-354.
Groen, A. & Christiansen, T. (2015). National Parliaments in the European Union: Conceptual Choices in the Union’s Constitutional Debate. In C. Hefftler, C. Neuhold, O. Rozenberg, & J. Smith (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union (pp.43-59). Palgrave Macmillan.
Grossman, E. & Sauger, N. (2009). The End of Ambiguity? Presidents versus Parties or the Four Phases of the Fifth Republic. West European Politics, 32(2), 423-437. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402380802670743
Haute Autorité Pour La Transparence De La Vie Publique (HATVP). (n.d.). Répertoire des représentants d'intérêts [National transparency register]. HATVP. https://www.hatvp.fr/le-repertoire/
Hefftler, C. & Gattermann, K. (2015). Interparliamentary Cooperation in the European Union: Patterns, Problems and Potential. In C. Hefftler, C. Neuhold, O. Rozenberg, & J. Smith (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union (pp.94-115). Palgrave Macmillan.
Hennink, M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2011). Qualitative research methods. SAGE.
Hesse-Biber, S. N. & Leavy, P. (2011). The Practice of Qualitative Research (2nd edition). SAGE.
Hobolt, S. B. & Tilley, J. (2014) Blaming Europe?: responsibility without accountability in the European Union. Oxford University Press.
Hoerner, J. M. (2017). Real scrutiny or smoke and mirrors: The determinants and role of resolutions of national parliaments in European Union affairs. European Union Politics, 18(2), 307-322. https://doi.org/10.1177/1465116516688803
Karlas, J. (2011). Parliamentary control of EU affairs in Central and Eastern Europe: explaining the variation. Journal of European Public Policy, 18(2), 258-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2011.544507
Karlsson, C. & Persson, T. (2020). Comparing oppositional behaviour in European Union affairs: empirical evidence from six member states. West European Politics. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2020.1814618
Kumar, R. (2014). Research Methodology. A Step-By-Step Guide For Beginners. (4th edition). SAGE.
Leech, B. L. (2002a). Interview Methods in Political Science. PS: Political Science and Politics, 35(4), 663-664.
Leech, B. L. (2002b). Asking Questions: Techniques for Semi structured Interviews. PS: Political Science and Politics, 35(4), 665-668.
Likaj, X., Rieble, L., & Theuer, L. (2020). Euroscepticism in France: An Analysis of Actors and Causes. Working Paper No. 132/2020. Institute for International Political Economy Berlin. Retrieved online from: https://www.ipe-berlin.org/fileadmin/institut-ipe/Dokumente/Working_Papers/ipe_working_paper_132.pdf
Mastenbroek, E., Spendzharova, A., & Versluis, E. (2014). Clawing Back Lost Powers? Parliamentary Scrutiny of the Transposition of EU Social Policy Directives in the Netherlands. West European Politics, 37(4), 750-768. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2014.919774
Maurer, A. & Wessels, W. (2001). National Parliaments on their Ways to Europe: Losers or Latecomers. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft.
McCubbins, M. D., & Schwartz, T. (1984). Congressional Oversight Overlooked: Police Patrols versus Fire Alarms. American Journal of Political Science, 28(1), 165-179. https://doi.org/10.2307/2110792
Moravcsik, A. (1994). Why the European Community Strengthens the State: Domestic Politics and International Cooperation. Center for European Studies Working Paper No.52. Harvard University.
Moravcsik, A. (2002). In Defence of the ‘Democratic Deficit’: Reassessing Legitimacy in the European Union. Journal of Common Market Studies, 40(4), 603-624.
Premier Ministre (2010). Circulaire du 21 juin 2010 relative à la participation du Parlement national au processus décisionnel européen [Motion of June 10, 2010 relating to the participation of the national parliament in the European decision-making process]. Retrieved online from: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/download/pdf?id=2TyfLclOd-Nfv5VQRkIYKFsDFihSq-tW46KWa2ISZzs=
Raunio, T. (2005). Holding governments accountable in European affairs: Explaining cross-national variation. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 11(3-4), 319-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/13572330500348307
Rozenberg, O. & Hefftler, C. (2015). Introduction. In C. Hefftler, C. Neuhold, O. Rozenberg, & J. Smith (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union (pp.1-41). Palgrave Macmillan.
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data (3rd edition). SAGE.
Saalfeld, T. (2000). Members of parliament and governments in Western Europe: Agency relations and problems of oversight. European Journal of Political Research, 37(3), 353-376. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007077106053
Schmidt, V. A. (2013). Democracy and Legitimacy in the European Union Revisited: Input, Output, and ‘Throughput’. Political Studies, 61(1), 2-22. https/doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.00962.x
Sénat (2020). Comptes rendus des travaux de la commission des affaires européennes au Sénat du 1er janvier au 30 septembre 2020. Commission des Affaires Européennes, (104). http://www.senat.fr/fileadmin/Fichiers/Images/commission/affaires_europeennes/Recueil_des_comptes_rendus/CR_TRAVAUX_104.pdf
Sénat (2021). Rapport d’information fait au nom de la commission des affaires européennes sur le suivi des résolutions européennes, des avis motivés et des avis politiques, par M. Jean-François RAPIN. [Information report conducted by the European Affairs Committee on the following of European resolutions, motivated opinions, and political opinions, by Sir Jean-François RAPIN]. Présidence du Sénat, 2020-2021, (427). http://www.senat.fr/europe/rap.html
Sénat (n.d.). Commission des affaires européennes [European affairs committee]. https://www.senat.fr/europe/broch.html
Strelkov, A. (2015). National parliaments in the aftermath of the Lisbon Treaty: adaptation to the ‘New Opportunity Structure’. Datawyse / Universitaire Pers Maastricht.
Thomas, A. & Tacea, A. (2015). The French Parliament and the European Union. ‘Shadow Control’ through the Government Majority. In C. Hefftler, C. Neuhold, O. Rozenberg, & J. Smith (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union (pp.170-190). Palgrave Macmillan.
West, H. (2020). MP Firefighting and the Partisan Logic. Scandinavian Political Studies, 43(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.12157
Winzen, T. (2012). National Parliamentary Control of European Union Affairs: A Cross-national and Longitudinal Comparison. West European Politics, 35(3), 657-672. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2012.665745
Winzen, T. (2013). European integration and national parliamentary oversight institutions. European Union Politics, 14(2), 297-323. https://doi.org/10.1177/1465116512467088
Wohlstetter, P. (1990). The Politics of Legislative Evaluations: Fire-Alarm and Police Patrol and Oversight Procedures. Evaluation Practice, 11(1), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0886-1633(90)90005-X
