Conceptualising the role of national parliaments in the EU system of governance

The function of national parliaments in the European Union has attracted significant
public debate in recent years, particularly in the context of the draft EU Constitutional
Treaty. Much of this has concerned the role of such legislatures in respect of two
issues – scrutiny of EU legislation, and providing a bridge to narrow a perceived gap
between the central EU institutions and the citizens of the member-states. How best
these tasks can be achieved remains subject to considerable discussion and has
resulted in substantial innovation and institutional reconfiguration within the national
parliaments of the Union. In this article, the various patterns and understandings
emerging in the deliberation over the future of national parliaments in the EU system
of governance are explored. It is concluded that the most progressive course of action
for national parliaments in an enlarged EU is to seek methods of shaping the agenda
rather than focusing on securing maximum recognition or veto power within the
Union's wider infrastructure.