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Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance null

Institutional Power Shifts Resulting From the Conclusion of International Agreements

EU Powers under External Pressure - findings

Institutional changes happen when the European Union adopts policy externally, i.e. under international law and in cooperation with third countries or international institutions, rather than internally through the EU legislative process.
Research projects

The project discusses the power shifts towards the Council and the European Council and then focuses in particular on the role of the European Parliament. The EP has established itself as a new institutional actor relevant to the external actions of the EU, as well as the joint external actions of the EU and its Member States. In particular the EP’s newly asserted position in negotiating and concluding international agreements allows it to represent internationally a common European interest. Its past refusals to consent to international agreements gave EU citizens a voice in international relations, which, with all its flaws, draws on a source of democratic legitimation that is independent and separate from the EU Member States. These refusals are acts of contestation that vest the EU’s actions under international law with a backing that is not ultimately rooted in the Member States.