When the EU acts promptly: How public opinion affects EU legislative duration

Despite expectations of legislative gridlock in the EU due to its complex institutional structure and increased membership, the Union has shown to be surprisingly swift in adopting new decisions in recent years. In this paper we examine what enables or prevents the EU policy-makers from moving smoothly and swiftly when coining policy compromises. Why does the European Union’s bicameral legislature decide promptly on some legislative proposals while taking much longer for others? Drawing on models of democratic responsiveness, we argue that, in addition to institutional constraints and preference configuration, public mood, salience and opinion unity across the EU states influences the duration of the policy-making on the supranational level. To test our argument, we draw on a dataset containing information on all legislative files under co-decision in the period 2009-2019 and compile public opinion indicators from the Eurobarometer surveys. Our results speak to the study of responsive modes of supranational policy-making.