Institutional and Procedural Dynamics in EU Decision-Making

This Section is devoted to the study of institutional and procedural dynamics in the European Union. Taking place a decade after the Lisbon Treaty, it provides an opportunity to analyse the impact of the institutional and procedural reforms then put in effect, and to examine wider trends concerning the EU’s institutional architecture: the ongoing rise of the role played by the European Parliament across a growing number of domains; a shift towards the European Council in the context of the management of multiple crises; the European Commission’s drive to be more ‘political’, and having received a surprise boost by Brexit but also pushback as populism has grown across the continent; a slowdown in legislative activity undermining the Council of Minister’s formal decision powers, exacerbated by procedures shifting responsibility to special committees (e.g. with regard to Article 50); and, a move away from law-making towards implementation and operations (for example in the Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice). All institutions had to contend with geopolitical tensions and a rise in crisis-related thinking in most policy areas. This Section welcomes Paper and Panel proposals focused on the institutional and procedural dynamics of EU decision-making, addressing the patterns above or other developments that may represent evolutionary changes or distinct shifts in EU decision-making dynamics. Topics may include institution-specific issues, inter-institutional questions, formal and informal procedures, new forms of deliberation and decision-making, and related aspects. Scholars with different theoretical and methodological approaches are invited to apply, and we encourage in particular Panels aiming for balance in gender and experience of participants.