ABSTRACT
The accountability of governments in Europe takes roots in a long history made of economic and political logics. As a result, despite the generalisation of the parliamentary model, the type of accountability provided is not similar from one legislature to another. A political science perspective helps to diagnostic that, nowadays, parliamentary oversight is challenged on many grounds. It is less efficient, except during major crises. As a result, other actors appear to be influential in the accountability process: mainly, public opinion and judges. Last but not least, governments have developed a variety of strategies seeking to escape from oversight and sanctions.
