Seeking CSDP Accountability Through Interparliamentary Scrutiny

Abstract

The EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) requires parliamentary accountability. At present, as CSDP-related decisions are increasingly taken in the framework of the UN or the EU, neither the European Parliament (EP) nor national parliaments are able to hold decision-makers accountable. Interparliamentary cooperation can provide added value in bringing about parliamentary scrutiny of CSDP. Nevertheless, despite an official agreement, the EP and national parliaments have different views on what such interparliamentary cooperation entails. There are five conditions – cooperation and complementarity among parliaments, conferential dialogues, coordinated agendas, and comprehensive and comparative scrutiny – that have to be fulfilled to create added value for interparliamentary cooperation on CSDP matters.

Keywords:

• parliamentary scrutiny and control
• Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)
• interparliamentary cooperation

Notes

¹ Curtin et al., “Positioning Accountability”, 936–7.

² Scharpf, Regieren in Europa, 16 ff.

³ See also Caballero-Bourdot, Parliamentary Scrutiny, 13.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Curtin et al., “Positioning Accountability”, 937.

⁶ Raube, “EEAS and European Parliament”, 67.

⁷ Curtin et al., “Positioning Accountability”, 936.

⁸ Caballero-Bourdot, Parliamentary Scrutiny, 13.

⁹ Duke, “Consistency, Coherence and EU Action”, 26, 28.

¹⁰ Dougan, “Winning Minds, not Hearts”, 702.

¹¹ Raube, “EEAS and European Parliament”, 67.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Wagner, Demokratische Kontrolle, 187.

¹⁴ Slaughter, A New World Order, 61 ff.

¹⁵ Koenig-Archibugi, “Democratic Deficit”, 67.

¹⁶ This is a more general problem which applies to many areas of so-called ‘informal international law-making’: see Pauwelyn et al., Informal International Lawmaking, and Pauwelyn et al., Case Studies.

¹⁷ Stein, “International Integration and Democracy”, 490–1, 530.

¹⁸ Mérand et al., Transgovernmental Networks in European Security, 15.

¹⁹ Wagner, “Democratic Control of Military Power Europe”, 204–5.

²⁰ Ibid.

²¹ Bieber, “Democratic Control of European Foreign Policy”, 152–3.

²² Lord, “Political Theory and Practice”, 1144.

²³ Ibid., 1145.

²⁴ Peters et al., Parliaments and European Security Policy.

²⁵ “Statement of the Presidency of the Permanent Council of the WEU on behalf of the High Contracting Parties to the Modified Brussels Treaty – Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom”, Brussels, 31 March 2010, http://www.weu.int/Declaration_E.pdf.

²⁶ “Presidency Conclusions, Conference of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU”, Brussels , 4–5 April 2011, http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b64f909f0023.

²⁷ Ibid.

²⁸ “Conference of the Speakers of the Parliament of the EU, Topic: Parliamentary Scrutiny of the Common Foreign and Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) – Overview of the Responses of the Belgian Presidency Proposal”, Brussels, 4–5 April 2011, http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b64f909f0023.

²⁹ Ibid.

³⁰ Interview with a Member of the European Parliament, Brussels, 21 September 2011.

³¹ Caballero-Bourdot, Parliamentary Scrutiny, 45.

³² Ibid.

³³ Interview with a Member of the European Parliament, Brussels, 21 September 2011.

³⁴ Interview with a Member of the European Parliament, Brussels, 13 September 2010.

³⁵ “Letter of the United Kingdom Parliament to the Belgian Presidency”, 14 March 2011, http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b64f909f0023.

³⁶ Participatory Notes of the Authors, Speakers’ Conference, Brussels, 4 April 2011.

³⁷ Caballero-Bourdot, Parliamentary Scrutiny, 45–6.

³⁸ Participatory Notes of the Authors, Speakers’ Conference, Brussels, 4 April 2011.

³⁹ Ibid.

⁴⁰ Interview with a Member of the European Parliament, Brussels, 21 September 2011.

⁴¹ Letters between the Speakers of the Sejm and the Senate of the Republics of Poland and the President of the European Parliament on 15 November 2011 and 18 November 2011; Letter between the Speakers of the Sejm and the Senate of the Republics of Poland and the national parliaments’ speakers on 29 November 2011. http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b6491e6c001d.

⁴² “Meeting of the Secretaries-General of EU Parliaments”, Warsaw, 5–6 February 2012.

⁴³ See Article 9.1, Article 9.2 and Article 9.3: EP, “Rules of Procedure of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees”.

⁴⁴ “Presidency Conclusions”, Warsaw, 20 April 2012, http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b6491e6c001d.

⁴⁵ “Presidency Conclusions, Conference of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU”, Warsaw, 4–5 April 2011. http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b64f909f0023.

⁴⁶ Participatory Notes of the Authors, Speakers’ Conference, Brussels, 4 April 2011.

⁴⁷ See the proposal in the letter of the German Bundestag, 15 December 2011, http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b6491e6c001d.

⁴⁸ Letters between the Speakers of the Sejm and the Senate of the Republics of Poland and the President of the European Parliament on 15 November 2011 and 18 November 2011. http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/euspeakers/getspeakers.do?id=082dbcc530b1bef60130b6491e6c001d.