What Does the Lisbon Treaty Change Regarding Subsidiarity within the EU Institutional Framework?

Arribas, Gracia Vara and Bourdin, Delphine (2012) What Does the Lisbon Treaty Change Regarding Subsidiarity within the EU Institutional Framework? EIPAScope, 2012 (2). pp. 13-17. ISSN 1025-6253

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Abstract

he principle of subsidiarity refers in general to the choice of the most suitable and efficient level for taking policy action. The European Union associates subsidiarity with the way of taking decisions ‘as closely as possible to the citizen’, as it is referred to in the EU treaties. Thus, ensuring the respect of subsidiarity within the EU legislative framework ensures that any EU action is justified when proposing draft legislative acts. The Lisbon Treaty establishes new mechanisms reinforcing subsidiarity control, both ex ante and ex post the EU legislative process, and by doing so, enhances mainly the role of the national parliaments (and to a lesser extent the regional parliaments) and the Committee of the Regions. But in the end, this is a way of ensuring legitimacy of the EU action as it is quite often questioned, especially in times of crisis. Years of practice will tell whether the words will join reality.

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