Parliamentary Approaches to EU Affairs in the V4 Countries

Abstract

Visegrad Countries (the so-called “V4”) including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have been vocal advocates of strengthening the powers of national parliaments in the European Union (EU) as a remedy for its alleged democratic deficit. Yet, the EU-oriented activity of V4 legislatures including their legal-constitutional standing, institutional capacities, actual performance and prospective ambitions remains under-researched. The aim of this panel is to shed light on participation of these four Central-European parliaments in EU affairs fifteen years after their countries' accession to the EU. The panel gathers papers of interdisciplinary nature (representing political science and law) that probe into the various EU-oriented activities of V4 parliaments and their MPs, including domestic government scrutiny and implementation of EU law, external arenas such as the early warning system, political dialogue, green card and the red card, as well as aspects of inter-parliamentary cooperation and relations with EU institutions. The panel focuses on the latest developments in parliamentary dynamics through theory-informed empirical research leading to a discussion of whether V4 parliaments can be considered "multi-arena players" (Auel and Neuhold 2017) in the field of EU affairs.

Title	Details
Taking it to the Next Level? EU-Oriented Capacity, Performance and Ambitions of V4 Parliaments.	View Paper Details
Topics and Strategies. Role of Prime Minister's Policy Priorities in Shaping the Parliamentary Work in Hungary	View Paper Details
Who, How and Why is Framing Europe in Slovakian Parliament?	View Paper Details