The Italian Parliament in the European Union

This important new collection explores the role of the Italian Parliament in the Euro-national parliamentary system as an example of an increased role for national parliaments within the European constitutional order. It illustrates the how parliamentary interactions within the European Union are highly systematic, with integrated procedures and mutual interdependence between the various stakeholders.

This work argues that this dynamic is vital for both the functioning and the future equilibrium of democracy in the EU. This is significant, particularly given the challenges posed to democracy within the EU institutions and the Member States. The Euro-national parliamentary system can be seen to have three key effects: the Europeanisation of national policies through national parliaments' involvement in the multilevel decision-making; the rise of national parliaments in the EU composite constitutional order and the enhancement of the more classical tools of inter-parliamentary cooperation.