ABSTRACT
Since the legislative and control functions of national parliaments have largely fallen prey to party politics in domestic as well as in European Union (EU) politics, the information function could be a last resort for the justification, explanation and communication of executive politics. National parliaments could provide the missing link between a national electorate and ever more supranationally acting executives. But the communication and information function can also be hampered, with parliamentary communication being perceived along the lines of government and opposition, or Europe being considered to be outside the area of national parliamentary responsibility. Focusing on the Austrian parliament, this study investigates the communication strategies of three different sets of actors: the parliament as an institution; parliamentary party groups; and individual MPs, and shows how these strategies have changed over time, notably in the context of the EU Treaty ratification debates.
