The European Parliament put to the test by COVID-19: voting dynamics and coalition patterns of the EP’s first response to the global pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite its tangible role in shaping the European Union’s response to the global pandemic, observers seem to have systematically disregarded the role of the European Parliament (EP) in the crisis, by primarily focusing their attention on the European capitals, the inter-governmental institutions, and the coordinating role of the European Commission. The contribution of the EP cannot be ignored also given its unique representative role, its direct democratic legitimacy, and its increasingly relevant role in the Union’s decision-making process. This article has the ambition to identify the key determinants behind the legislators’ voting behaviour and coalition patterns in the EP in the context of the first response to the COVID-19 crisis, by capturing the tension between partisanship and nationality. To do so, it proposes a set of hypotheses addressing legislators’ voting dynamics and patterns of cooperation and conflict in the EP. The analysis is based on votes held on 80 amendments to the April 2020 Joint motion for a resolution on ‘EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences’. The analysis confirms patterns in lines with the expectations of the study.