The Principle of Subsidiarity after Lisbon: Towards a Sustainable System of EU Multi-Level Governance

in Papakostas, Nikos; Passamitros, Nikos (Eds.) EU Beyond the Crisis. A Debate on Sustainable Integrationism (2016)

Unconventional Monetary Policies and the European Central Bank's Problematic Democratic Legitimacy

in Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht (2016), 71(2), 124

Prior to the international fi nancial crisis, the ECB’s policies were shaped by the interpretation that its mandate was primarily to ensure low infl ation. Since the outbreak of the sovereign debt crisis ... [more ▼]

Prior to the international fi nancial crisis, the ECB’s policies were shaped by the interpretation that its mandate was primarily to ensure low infl ation. Since the outbreak of the sovereign debt crisis in early 2010, the ECB has adopted a range of policies which have pushed its role well beyond that interpretation. This article presents the argument that ECB policy-making since the start of 2010 undermines the democratic legitimacy of the ECB. The problems stem from three developments: the stretching – and arguably breach – of the ECB’s mandate; the increasing politicization of the ECB’s decisions and policies; and the extent to which the ECB’s policies undermine the transparency of both its own monetary policy and national macroeconomic policies. [less ▲]

Parliamentary Administrations in the European Union

Book published by Palgrave (2016)

Parliamentary Administrations in the European Union offers a comprehensive overview over the role of parliamentary administrations in the control of European Union policy-making. It questions whether the ... [more ▼]

Parliamentary Administrations in the European Union offers a comprehensive overview over the role of parliamentary administrations in the control of European Union policy-making. It questions whether the decision to give parliaments greater powers in the aftermath of the Lisbon Treaty had only the intended effect of political debate on European policies, or whether it has also resulted in the bureaucratisation of parliaments. In this pursuit, it argues that the challenges of information-management faced by parliaments lead them to delegate an extensive set of tasks to their administrations. The book offers a broad empirical picture: It analyses the challenges faced by national parliaments and the role and response of their administrations in the case of the European Parliament, national parliaments and regional parliaments. In addition, it studies the interaction between different administrations and their contribution to interparliamentary cooperation. In the process, it presents a new and different perspective on the challenges and dynamics of multi-level parliamentarism. [less ▲]

Parliamentary administrations: an important pillar in the parliamentary scrutiny of EU affairs

Article for general public (2015)

The Scottish Parliament – Active Player in a Multilevel European Union?

in Abels, Gabriele; Eppler, Annegret (Eds.) Subnational Parliaments in the EU Multi-Level Parliamentary System Taking Stock of the Post-Lisbon Era (2015)

National Parliaments after Lisbon: Administrations on the Rise?

in West European Politics (2015), 38(2), 335-354

In the wake of the Lisbon Treaty, much of the academic debate on national parliaments in the EU has focused on the new powers of national parliaments and the potential for the politicisation and ... [more ▼]

In the wake of the Lisbon Treaty, much of the academic debate on national parliaments in the EU has focused on the new powers of national parliaments and the potential for the politicisation and parliamentarisation of the EU. In the process, the role of administrators in the parliamentary control of EU affairs has been neglected. This article addresses that gap by comparing parliamentary administrations to a set of ideal types on the basis of in-depth interviews and a comparative survey of parliamentary staff. This leads to the observation that the roles of parliamentary administrators have been further expanded after Lisbon to a range of tasks that go beyond technical support and include elements of agenda-setting. [less ▲]

The Limits of Territorial Interest Representation in the European Union

in Territory, Politics, Governance (2014)

Formal Rules and Informal Cooperation: Inter-governmental Relations in Domestic European Policy Making in Comparative Perspective

in Regional and Federal Studies (2014), 24(3),

One of the key elements of the strategies of interest representation of strong legislative regions in EU policy making is active participation in the co-ordination processes within the member state. This ... [more ▼]

One of the key elements of the strategies of interest representation of strong legislative regions in EU policy making is active participation in the co-ordination processes within the member state. This article argues that Europeanization of inter-governmental relations leads to a greater emphasis on cooperation in the formal rules on inter-governmental cooperation in EU affairs. However, when informal practices are taken into account, some member states become more cooperative, others arguably less. This divergence can be explained by the circular interplay of formal and informal practices. [less ▲]

National Parliaments in the Post-Lisbon European Union: Bureaucratization rather than Democratization?

in Comparative European Politics (2014), 12(2), 121-140

National Parliaments After Lisbon: Towards Mainstreaming of EU Affairs?

E-print/Working paper (2013)