"The Santer Commission resignation crisis: Government-opposition dynamics in executive-legislative relations of the EU"

Ringe, Nils F. (2003) "The Santer Commission resignation crisis: Government-opposition dynamics in executive-legislative relations of the EU". In: UNSPECIFIED, Nashville, TN. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The paper argues that the crisis leading to the resignation of the Santer Commission in March 1999 was the result of an unprecedented intensification of party competition in the EP, based on a government-opposition dynamic that was also observable at an inter-institutional level. It employs the theoretical literature on executive-legislative relations, especially with regard to "government" and "opposition" modes, and considers the relationships between the Commission, EP Socialists, and EP Christian-Democrats. The paper is based on fifty-two interviews, primarily with Members of the European Parliament, EP officials, and Commission officials. It also quantitatively analyzes MEP voting behavior throughout the crisis. The paper identifies the government-opposition dynamic as a potential factor underlying political competition in the European sphere. It also maintains that government and opposition modes may converge and co-vary at national and EU levels; "opposition" in the context of the EU can have several simultaneous targets: Commission, Council, and national governments. Accordingly, the paper suggests that there may be an overlap between "national" and "partisan" politics in the EU. In this sense, this paper helps determine where, when, and how the pro-/anti-integration dimension meets the left-right divide.

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