National Parliaments post-Lisbon

The European Institute and the Embassy of Belgium to the UK are hosting a half-day event on the provisions under the Lisbon Treaty for national parliaments.

The Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force nearly 12 months ago, has introduced potentially significant changes for the role of national parliaments in EU decision-making. Under the new treaty, national parliaments can scrutinise new EU legislative proposals and object to a proposal if it is found to violate the principle of subsidiarity. These provisions are intended to encourage greater involvement of national parliaments in EU legislative processes and for the first time grant them a significant if still limited power to act collectively at EU level. However, both practical and conceptual challenges remain, not least of them the constrained time frame parliaments are given to vet proposals and coordinate a response. While they have thus gained new powers, it is as yet far from clear whether national parliaments will indeed have more influence in EU decision-making in the future.

To mark the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the European Institute and the Embassy of Belgium to the UK are hosting a half-day event, in which academics and practitioners will discuss the provisions under the Lisbon Treaty for national parliaments. The aim is to compare UK and Belgian experiences, examine the provisions' potential for development and review their shortcomings. A working group comprising members of parliament, legal counsel and several academic experts will discuss the issue in a closed workshop and produce a brief report. This will be followed by a round table talk before an invited public at the Belgian Embassy in London and a reception hosted by the Embassy.

Confirmed participants include:

• Annemie Neyts,  MEP, former MP and Federal Minister with responsibility for European Affairs, International Trade and Agriculture (2001-2003)
• Lord John Roper, Chairman of the EU Select Committee, House of Lords
• Paul Hardy, Counsel for European Legislation, UK House of Commons
• Arnold Ridout, Deputy Legal Adviser to the EU Select Committee House of Lords 
• Prof Thomas Christiansen, University of Maastricht
• Prof Richard Bellamy, Director, UCL European Institute
• Prof Rick Rawlings, UCL Laws and Legal Adviser to the House of Lords Constitution Committee
• Dr Christine Reh, UCL School of Public Policy
• Dr Ian Cooper, ARENA, Oslo
• Piotr Maciej Kaczynski, Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels

Please note that due to restrictions of space, the evening panel discussion is by invitation only. Any outcomes will be made available on European Institute website.