The culture of trilogues.

Roederer-Rynning, Christilla; Greenwood, Justin

Abstract

There is surprisingly little knowledge about the informal 'trilogues' that play a pivotal role in almost 90 per cent of European Union legislation. This article maps out previously uncharted practices and explores their role in constituting the Parliament and Council as legislators. It proceeds by taking stock of the knowledge that actors in Parliament, the Council and the Commission have acquired and use to make sense of, and act in, trilogues. Our findings qualify the widespread belief that trilogues have drawn Parliament into unfamiliar territory of diplomatic culture, at a cost to political efficacy and democratic functions. Trilogues today are underpinned by norms, standard operating procedures and practices linking formal and informal institutions. They have imparted Parliament with a sharpened consciousness of its role and identity as a 'normal' parliament, while leaving the Council frustrated and less confident. Parliament has seen in norms of public accountability a means to develop leverage over the Council.

Citation

ROEDERER-RYNNING, C. and GREENWOOD, J. 2015. The culture of trilogues. Journal of European public policy [online], 22(8), pages 1148-1165. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2014.992934

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 12, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Feb 12, 2015
• Publication Date: Aug 31, 2015
• Deposit Date: Nov 24, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 24, 2017
• Journal: Journal of European public policy
• Print ISSN: 1350-1763
• Electronic ISSN: 1466-4429
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 1148-1165
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2014.992934
• Keywords: Codecision; Council of the European Union; Early agreements; European Parliament; Interinstitutional relations
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2607