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Not Worth the Net Worth? The Democratic Dilemmas of Privileged Access to Information
[journal article]
Abstract In this article, we discuss the democratic conditions for parliamentary oversight in EU foreign affairs. Our point of departure is two Interinstitutional Agreements (IIAs) between the Council and the European Parliament (EP), which provide the latter with access to sensitive documents. To shed light... view more
In this article, we discuss the democratic conditions for parliamentary oversight in EU foreign affairs. Our point of departure is two Interinstitutional Agreements (IIAs) between the Council and the European Parliament (EP), which provide the latter with access to sensitive documents. To shed light on this issue, we ask to what extent these contribute to the democratic accountability in EU foreign policy? It is argued that the IIAs have strengthened the EP’s role in EU foreign affairs by giving it access to information to which it was previously denied. This does not mean, however, that this increase in power equals a strengthening of the EP as a democratic accountability forum. First of all, both IIAs (even if there are differences between them) fail to maximise the likelihood that the plurality of views in the EP as a whole is reproduced. Secondly, and more importantly, the EU citizens are largely deprived of opportunities to appraise how their elected representatives have exercised their role as guardians of executive power.... view less
Keywords
EU; European Parliament; foreign policy; parliament; control; information policy; transparency
Classification
European Politics
Free Keywords
democratic accountability; secrecy
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
p. 51-61
Journal
Politics and Governance, 5 (2017) 3
Issue topic
EU Institutional Politics of Secrecy and Transparency in Foreign Affairs
ISSN
2183-2463
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed