oa De parlementaire keerzijde van Europa

Parliamentarism – the flipside of Europe. The Dutch Parliament and democratic control over the EU

Today, voters and public opinion eye politics with mounting scepticism – politics in general and European politics in particular. The intertwining of domestic and foreign policies, multilayered governance, and the emergence of the European Parliament as a second representative body for (Dutch) citizens are typical developments of the past two decades. All these challenge the authority, competencies, and self-perception of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house in The Hague. Parliament and government in the Netherlands have been aware of these issues since the early days of European integration. The urgency, however, has increased dramatically since the 1990s. This contribution demonstrates that the Tweede Kamer dealt with these dilemmas in a manner characterised by continuity of motives and perspectives, even though strategies changed over time.