The European Parliament
Examines the origins & steady expansion of powers of the European Parliament (EP) in the postwar period. Originating as the Common Assembly of the European Coal & Steel Community in 1950, the EP is described as traditionally suffering from a democratic deficit in which its weak legislative & control powers have created a gap between its democratic practice in theory vs in reality. The EP's strategy to expand its decision-making powers in the 1980s, culminating in the Single European Act, is reviewed, & it is suggested that its greatest success has been to expand the domain of its debates, investigations, & own-initiative reports. The further expansion of the EP's powers after the Maastricht Treaty is described as the movement from seeking cooperation with member governments to attaining the right of codecision. Finally, it is suggested that if the EP is to continue to expand its legislative role, it must continue to be innovative, flexible, & persuasive. D. M. Smith