The Treaty of Amsterdam and Its Implications for the Institutional Structure of the EU

Abstract

The European Parliament, as the most dynamic of all the institutions of the European Communities over the years, is no longer considered as 'a toothless tiger' among the other institutions or a purely consultative and powerless actor in the policy-making process. Indeed, the development of the Parliament has demonstrated a rising trend justifying the propositions of the realist/inter-governmentalist approach to the study European integration, bearing in mind the step-by-step expansion of its legislative powers at the outcome of successive treaty reforms (or what has been called by the inter-governmentalist school 'great bargains'). Accordingly, the Amsterdam Treaty symbolises the latest point Parliament has reached so far on its 'legislative path'. It should be noted, however, that this expansion of Parliament's legislative role is penetrating more into the Commission's territory than that of the Council. In effect, the future route of the EP on its way will remain dependent on the member countries' willingness to give up their sovereignty in future bargains. In this context, section one of this paper sketches out the main arguments proposed by the realist/inter-governmentalist account in order to understand the EP's progress through a series of treaty reforms. The second section then looks into the emergence of the Parliament as an important actor in the policy-making process. In so doing, special focus is on the main legislative powers of the Parliament: the consultation, co-operation and co-decision procedures. In the conclusions section, general assessment of the Parliament's progress is given.