Abstract:

The Assembly of WEU, the national parliaments of WEU and EU member states and the European Parliament have tried so far without success to remedy what one could call the 'parliamentary deficit' of the new European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP): it has arisen because the EU has set up politico-military crisis-management structures under the ESDP with a view to deploying forces for the so-called Petersberg tasks, which may include combat operations to restore peace. National parliaments, which have their constitutional responsabilities and must scrutinise their governments, have no means of acquiring information first-hand at EU level. The decision to deploy troop to crisis areas and the means to finance such missions are voted in national parliaments. Yet there is no interparliamentary body within the EU to supervise intergovernmental cooperation. At the same time, the EU Treaty does not give the European Parliament the necessary competence for security and defense questions and member states remain reluctant to transfer soveignty in that area. That is why the Convention on the future Europe should give national parliaments collective represenatin at EU level by taking the interparliamentary model as a basis.


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