Constitutional Aspects of the EU’s Global Actorness: Increased Exclusivity in Trade and Investment and the Role of the European Parliament

Abstract

This article argues that ‘exclusive’ competences were instrumental in the development of the EU as a global actor. These competences were particularly helpful in building the EU’s trade and investment policy. The main question raised is to what extent the European Parliament has been able to ensure parliamentary control over these policy areas. It is argued that both new Treaty provisions and Parliament’s own activism have turned the EP into an important actor in relation to control over the Union’s Common Commercial Policy. At the same time, the question is whether the EU’s own constitutional system is sufficient to guarantee the legitimacy of the EU’s external (economic) activities.