ABSTRACT
The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) was envisioned as a multi-level event, and regions were explicitly invited to participate. But how did regional parliaments engage in CoFoE? Can we explain the differences among them? The main hypothesis in this chapter is that CoFoE offered a window of opportunity for institutional activism and for renewing long-standing claims for a stronger role of regions. This chapter focuses on regional parliaments with legislative powers: the 27 German-speaking regional parliaments, that is, the parliaments in the sixteen German and nine Austrian Länder, the parliament of Ostbelgien and of South Tyrol. Albeit to varying degrees, these regional parliaments became active, using established parliamentary tools such as resolutions, plenary debates, committee hearings, questions, and sometimes special events. The politicisation of CoFoE developed along the existing partisan conflicts. In addition, established inter-parliamentary channels such as the Landespräsidentenkonferenz (conference of presidents of regional parliaments) were used to exchange views and raise demands. Competences and practices developed in EU affairs had an impact on the level of engagement. The direct involvement of some regional MPs – formally delegated to CoFoE – plus support from the Committee of the Regions for regional activities were most beneficial for regional parliamentary activities.
