by afew
Fri Mar 6th, 2009 at 05:09:06 AM EST
Last December I asked for help with a talk on the financial crisis I was to give (and then reported how it went). This time I want help again, for another meeting of the same local society, though this time the opening address will be given by PES MEP Michel Teychenné (Website (French)). The topic is The Functioning of European Institutions.
My aim is just to participate in the discussion, but if I can speak to Michel Teychenné afterwards I'll try to get him to contribute here or agree to an interview for ET on the upcoming European Parliament elections.
I'd be grateful for pointers to good resources on EU Institutions. I know the subject has been discussed here quite a lot, and I've looked out some past ET work around institutions and especially the EP:
The European Parliamentary Elections 2009 by Sven Triloqvist
A short tour of the European Institutions by Jerome a Paris
How the EU works by Sven Triloqvist
After Lisbon, using EP election to strenghten EP power by A swedish kind of death
Europe Direct by Laurent GUERBY (contains a comment by Migeru linking to this diagram of the Codecision process.)
This is far from being a full list, and I'm certain I've missed out on a heap of stuff (by Migeru particularly). It would be good if we could centralise links here on the subject of EU institutions and their working.
Also: what would you want to ask/tell a MEP about the EP's powers and its interaction with Council and Commission?
Update [2009-3-6 5:9:6 by afew]: The meeting was held last night. Not a huge turnout (icy blasts and sleet kept people at home, or was it the subject of European Institutions that failed to motivate them? ;)). But a very interesting exchange with a MEP hard at work on parliamentary business and filled with pro-European conviction (though he voted Non to the constitutional treaty in the 2005 French referendum...).
The main subject of discussion was probably the progress of Parliament towards more influence in the codecision process with Council (influence which would ncrease with Lisbon, which Michel Teychenné supports). There was also inevitably talk of the EU's poor communications, and lack of visibility (not only caused by poor communications per se, but also by national pols obfuscating the role of the EU in decision-taking and distribution of funds).
I've yet to work out the details with him, but Michel Teychenné has agreed to put in a contribution to our coverage of the European elections here, probably in the form of an e-interview. As soon as I get confirmation, I'll post re the questions we want to ask him.
