The European Parliament, 4th Edition

Citation

Maxwell, D.E. (2001), "The European Parliament, 4th Edition", European Business Review, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 125-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.2001.13.2.125.2

Richard Corbett MEP, Francis Jacobs and Michael Shackleton have once again made excellent use of those “six honest service men”, “what, why, when, how, where and who” to cast light on many of the darker corners of knowledge on the one directly elected institution in the European Union.

This comprehensive guide benefits greatly from the collaboration between its three authors. Two are senior officials in the European Parliament whilst the third is an MEP who has crossed the fence from Parliamentary administration. This move has made its mark on the text which now has the benefit of viewing Parliament from two quite different perspectives.

Another great benefit to the reader is the very clear structure and coherent style of writing. The first of the three sections outlines the framework in which the Parliament operates. This builds up to section II, entitled: “the actors and working structures” which not only clarifies the role and responsibilities of MEPs and political groups, but details leadership structures, parliamentary committees and interparliamentary delegations. It also covers Parliament sessions (“Plenary”), the less formal inter‐groups the role of the Parliament secretariat. The books third section delves deeper into the technical and legal aspects of Parliament. Under the heading “The Powers of the Parliament”, it explains political procedures and landmark rulings which have influenced their development, throws light on Parliament’s budgetary role and formal powers. It also supplies a reassuringly thorough explanation of monitoring systems, outlines the value of Parliament’s activities and how it affects and is affected by constitutional change.

The writers have found the happy knack of instructing in an entertaining manner and setting the scene. My favourite chapter opening comes early in the book under the heading “Where, when and in quale lingua”. “It is a hazardous business” it states, “on the Friday before Strasborg plenary sessions, to walk in the corridors of the European Parliament’s buildings in Luxembourg and Brussels, blocked as they are by large metallic trucks stuffed with files and office equipment about to be transported by the Parliament delivery men to other offices in Strasbourg.” With such vivid word pictures capturing the atmosphere of a Parliament which is often reluctantly nomadic, it is only a disappointment that there are no photographic illustrations and location maps to help the reader realise why, despite its stunning architecture, MEPs find their regular trips to Strasbourg and the layout of the new Parliament building such a hindrance to effective working practices.

There is a very minor criticism of a book in which it is a pleasure to “enquire within”. Facts are made all the more accessible by a wide range of tables and a very clear index which will be of great help to librarians and researchers. It has been five years since the last edition of The European Parliament. In the light of current IGC talks and the prospect of enlargement it is to be hoped that the authors will continue to pool their skills to ensure that readers can keep abreast of developments in which the Parliament is exercising an ever‐increasing influence.