Europäische Integration und parlamentarische Demokratie

Complementing, competing, or co-operating? Exploring newspapers’ portrayals of the European Parliament and national parliaments in EU affairs

“…Accordingly, the academic discussion on interparliamentary relationships has highlighted its competitive, co-operative and complementary facets (e.g. Crum and Fossum 2009; Maurer 2009; Wouters and Raube 2012). …”

“…Maurer 2009). Looking into Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), Wouters and Raube (2012), for example, point out that the EP has greater possibilities to investigate cross sectional policy issues (Ibid., 160) since it can access information touching upon different supranational policies more easily at EU level; NPs, in turn, decide over the national defence budget and can hold national executive actors accountable in CSDP more effectively.…”

“…Also regarding other EU policies, the EP and NPs fulfil very different tasks and therefore usually become active at different points in the EU’s legislative cycle. Therefore ‘it is important that parliaments understand that the EP and national parliaments complement each other’ (Wouters and Raube 2012, 160; also Maurer 2009). Journalists would then be expected to portray parliaments and their activities independently from each other.…”