Parliamentary Accountability of the European Semester

This paper assesses the role of Irish and Polish parliaments in holding the executive at both EU and national level to account in the framework of EU cycle of fiscal and economic surveillance - the European Semester. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and explain accountability mechanisms, defined as the ability to scrutinize and contest executive decisions. This study would be conducted on two parliaments, including both euro- and a non-euro member states. By adopting an ‘interactionist approach’ to accountability developed by Maricut-Akbik 2019, this paper examines the substance of interactions between the forum (parliament) and the actors, such as the government or the Commission. The paper focuses on the empirical qualitative investigation of the parliamentary debates on the most important documents of the European Semester, such as those drafted by the EU institutions (Annual Growth Survey [AGS], Country Reports [CRs], including the in-depth reviews, Country Specific Recommendations [CSRs]) and national governments (Convergence Programs [CPs], National Reform Programs [NRPs]). The paper maps out the accountability relationships between an actor and a forum. It analyses the positions of political parties towards EU economic governance-related policy documents and connected arguments expressed in parliamentary discussions. Are the parties unified in their responses to the EU (AGS, CRs, CSRs) and national (CPs, NRPs) documents? If not, what explain such a divergence? Factors such as the political ideology of a political party and other factors (majority/opposition, Euro-sceptic/Euro-enthusiastic, majority/minority member of a coalition government) are taken into consideration.