Reconciling Europe and National Parliaments: Reflections on Technocracy, Democracy, and Post-Crisis Integration

Amministrazione In Cammino: Parlamento, Note e Commenti, 2014

11 Pages Posted: 17 Aug 2014

See all articles by Peter L. Lindseth

Peter L. Lindseth

University of Connecticut School of Law

Date Written: August 4, 2014

Abstract

This paper builds on a lecture delivered at the Summer School on “Parliamentary Democracy in Europe” at the LUISS Guido Carli School of Government in Rome on 18 July 2014. The lecture closed the first week of courses on the “Europeanization of National Parliaments.” The paper argues, ultimately, for caution in using the idea of Europeanization to describe the changes in national parliamentary responsibilities and procedures as a consequence of integration. It asserts, rather, that there is a risk of understating the “legitimacy resources” possessed by national parliaments as the constitutional expression of self-government in the European system. To make the point, the paper deconstructs some recent statements of the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, most importantly his speech before the European Parliament on 2 July 2014, viewed in relation to statements made before the Italian Chamber of Deputies and elsewhere. Renzi’s line of rhetoric on Europe — notably his quest for Europe’s “soul” and “the meaning of [its] life together” — provides a point of entry into a broader set of reflections on the current state of the integration process, its socio-political/socio-cultural underpinnings, as well as the “reconciliation” between Europe and national parliaments (technocracy and democracy) that is the focus of this lecture.

Keywords: parliamentary democracy, Europeanization, technocracy, European Parliament, national parliaments, legitimacy resources

Suggested Citation

Lindseth, Peter L., Reconciling Europe and National Parliaments: Reflections on Technocracy, Democracy, and Post-Crisis Integration (August 4, 2014). Amministrazione In Cammino: Parlamento, Note e Commenti, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2481034

Peter L. Lindseth (Contact Author)

University of Connecticut School of Law ( email )

65 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, CT 06105
United States
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