Executive accountability to national parliaments in post-crisis EU affairs: The persistent shortcomings in the Councial and the European Council oversight

This chapter analyses the ability, or inability, of five national parliaments (nps)—the british, french, german, italian, and spanish—to influence and hold their governments accountable for their action in the council of the eu (council) and the european council. The analysis suggests that a mandating system in all parliamentary chambers is not desirable since it would eventually impair negotiations in council and european council meetings. Yet it does show that even after the lisbon treaty and the euro crisis, the existing scrutiny mechanisms remain insufficient for all parliaments to exert substantial influence on eu affairs. Most importantly, there are times when these mechanisms are not even fully used, although some progress can be observed in recent years. The chapter concludes by proposing a way forward in enhancing national parliamentary control over their government’s eu policy.