The European Parliament as a political institution:

The past, present and future of Europe's democratic legislature

Tuesday 13 July 2021 | 13:30 - 15:00 hours

 

This EPRS Book Talk looks at an important new volume in Italian on the history, role, powers and values of the European Parliament - the directly-elected branch of the European Union political system and the only elected transnational law-making body in the world. The author, Professor Giacomo Di Federico of Bologna University, will talk about his book and why he wrote it, and be joined by a panel of parliamentarians and academics, who will reflect together about the past, present and future of the Parliament as a political institution. The title of the text - ‘Alla (ri)scoperta del Parlamento europeo: 1979-2019’ or ‘Re-discovering the European Parliament: 1979-2019’ - is designed to draw attention to the often-ignored uniqueness of the Parliament and its 'added value' in the EU system, in not only advancing a positive European agenda, but in offering a citizens' input into the European political process and in holding the executive to account.

 

Speakers:

 

Professor Giacomo DI FEDERICO, Professor of EU Law, Department of Legal Studies, University of Bologna

Elisabetta GUALMINI, MEP, Member of EP Committees on Budgets, and Employment and Social Affairs; Professor, University of Bologna; former President of Istituto Cattaneo

Sandro GOZI, MEP, Member of EP Committees on Internal Market, and Consumer Protection, and Constitutional Affairs

Martin WESTLAKE, Former Secretary General, EESC; Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges, and LSE; author of ‘A Modern Guide to the EP’

Eleanor SPAVENTA, Professor of European Union Law, Bocconi Law School, Milan

Moderation by Gaby UMBACH, Part-time Professor, Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute (EUI)