New Functions and New Powers for the European Parliament: Assessing the Changes of the Common Commercial Policy from the Perspective of Democratic Legitimacy

Abstract

The Lisbon Treaty’s reforms of the constitutional basis of the common commercial policy fundamentally changed the institutional balance in this policy area. One of the most important shifts as far as democratic legitimacy is concerned is the greater role of the European Parliament (EP). The increased significance of the parliament has even been called the most important change in the Lisbon Treaty. The present contribution examines the new responsibilities and functions of the EP in detail, with the central question being whether and to what extent these reforms have led to an improvement in the democratic legitimacy of the common commercial policy and a reduction in the democracy deficit. The shift in institutional balance when it comes to common commercial policy may be interesting in its own right from an interdisciplinary social science perspective. However, the results of the EU reform process reached by the Lisbon Treaty, must be primarily assessed according to whether they have contributed towards an improvement in the transparency, efficiency and democratic legitimation of the Union. These aims which were set down by the European Council in the Laeken Declaration are the “raison d’etre” of the Lisbon Treaty.