| Reviews |
| - '
... challenging and highly informative ... The book is attractively written, full of incisive aperçus
and serves as a very useful introduction to this vital and visceral aspect of the Union's development. The presentation is to the point, constructive and deftly delivered.
' - Public Law
|
| Description | | - A hot topic in EU studies following the wholesale resignation of the European Commission under Jacques Santer in 1999
- Combines legal and political approaches to the concept of accountability
- Challenges familiar notions of the functions of the courts
| The debate over the 'democratic deficit' of the European Union has tended to focus on the legitimacy and representativeness of the European Parliament. It has been the policy-making powers of the Parliament and its struggle to secure the dominant role in law-making which have attracted attention. The dramatic resignation of the Santer Commission early in 1999, following a critical report to
the Parliament, highlighted the growing problem of accountability in the European Union and echoed concerns regularly expressed by the European Council during inter-governmental conferences for the efficiency and effectiveness of the Union and its institutions. The resignations were followed by the appointment of President Romano Prodi with a mandate for reform of the Commission.
The present
book approaches the issue of democratic deficit from the angle of accountability, today seen as an essential element of democratic government. It looks at differing understandings of the concept in the Member States and at various techniques, political, legal, and managerial, by which accountability can be ensured. These include the Parliament as well as national parliaments but extend to less
familiar institutions, such as the European Court of Auditors. The book caters for a general readership and is intended for all those who are interested in the governance of the European Union.
The author draws the conclusion that in trans-national forms of governance such as the European Union, it is difficult to hold policy-makers to account. Some of the reasons are institutional, others
political and social. Without a vibrant civil society, the very notion of accountability may be a mirage. |
Readership: Sscholar and students of EC law, government and political studies; policy-makers.
| Contents |
Introduction
1.
Prelude: A Commission at Bay
2.
Thinking About Accountability
3.
Accountability and the Architecture of the European Union
4.
Accountability Through Audit
5.
Parliaments and Accountability: The European Parliament
6.
Accountability in National Parliaments
Conclusions
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| Authors, editors,
and contributors |
Carol Harlow, Professor of Law, London School of Economics and Political Science
|
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