ABSTRACT

The European Parliament (hereafter ‘the Parliament’) is the only directly elected EU institution. Following the first elections of 1979, it rapidly established a reputation as a standard bearer for the environment. It has consistently benefited from the various EU Treaty reforms (see Chapters 2 and 3), seeing both its policy competence and formal powers increase over the years. Over time it has shifted from being a relatively weak institution, often derided as a mere ‘talking shop’, to a co-legislator that crafts legislation jointly with representatives of the member states in the Council of Ministers. However, an increase in formal power does not necessarily lead to the exercise of greater influence. It has been suggested more recently that as the Parliament’s powers have increased, its willingness and ability to adopt radical environmental amendments and to set the wider EU environmental policy agenda have waned (see Burns and Carter, 2010a; Burns et al., 2012) (see also Chapter 11). Moreover the emergence of climate change as a key issue on the EU and wider international policy agenda has exposed the Parliament’s relative weakness on the international stage. Notwithstanding these concerns, the

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The European Parliament established a reputation in its early years as a champion of environmental interests within the EU. The EU’s only directly elected institution, it provided an access point for those excluded from decision making and a voice for green political parties. However, it was a reactive and relatively weak institution. In more recent times, the Parliament has benefited from treaty changes that have made it a co-legislator with the Council of Ministers. However, the empowerment of the Parliament seems to have blunted its environmental radicalism: it now appears less willing to adopt green amendments.