EU Council's Inter-governmentalism, Supranationalism & Parliament Role

This discussion board post examines the functions of the Council of the European Union, particularly focusing on how inter-governmentalism is reflected in its operations and whether it exhibits supranational tendencies. It references Konrad Adenauer's view of the Council balancing national and supranational sovereignty. The analysis highlights the Council's role in coordinating economic policies and cooperation between police forces and national courts, while also acknowledging the member states' hesitations in fully trusting the European Commission. Furthermore, the discussion explores the evolving relationship between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU over the years, detailing key treaties and acts that have shaped their interactions, such as the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Rome, the Merger Treaties, the Single European Act, and the Lisbon Treaty, noting how these changes have significantly impacted the way the EU operates.

Running head: EUROPEAN UNION POLITICS AND POLICIES
European Union Politics and Policies
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Author Note

1EUROPEAN UNION POLITICS AND POLICIES
What are some ways in which the Inter-governmentalism is reflected in the way the
Council functions? Does the Council also reflect supranational tendencies?
As stated clearly by the chancellor of West Germany, Konrad Adenauer, the European
Council was one that was standing at the crossroads of essentially two types of sovereignty,
both national as well as supranational. While it is meant to safeguard national interests of
member states, this must not be considered by it to be its paramount duty, the latter being the
promotion of the interests of the European Union community. By the Treaty of Paris, of
1952, the Council was established as essentially an inter-governmental organization by a
special council comprising of Ministers from the European Union, insisted upon by Benelux
countries and alongside higher authority, that is the European Commission today. Some of
the ways in which inter-governmentalism is reflected in the way in which the Council
functions is the fact that it oversees the coordination of the economic policies of member
states. The Council also coordinates cooperation between police forces and national courts.
However, it also needs to be remembered that after six to seven decades of being in existence
none of the member states trust the European Commission entirely with the task of making
decisions (Olsen and McCormick 2018).
Supranational tendencies are also reflected by the Council as its primary
responsibility is to approve the budget of the European Union and to assist Parliament in the
task of rejecting or accepting proposals that are made by the Commission and also to promote
Common Security Policy and Common Foreign Policy, with higher representatives of the
Foreign Affairs Council. When it comes to the creating and passing of laws, the Council can
put pressure on the Commission or influence the Commission to investigate issues as well as
to propose new laws. Points of disagreements and agreement are identified by Co-reper and
the entire dynamics of decision making in the EU is controlled by the Council (Olsen and
McCormick 2018).

2EUROPEAN UNION POLITICS AND POLICIES
How has the relationship between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU
changed over the years, and what difference has this made to how the EU operates?
The relation between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament is
something that has undergone a slow and steady process over the years, bringing about a
distinct difference in the manner in which the EU functions. As per the Treaty of Paris of
1952, the Council was established as an inter-governmental organization with a rotating six-
month presidency per country The Treaty of Rome of 1957-58 led to the creation of a
Council of EEC for guarding national interests, with a voting system being developed for the
protection of smaller countries and to encourage all six member countries to work in
collaboration with one another. Quality majority voting and simple majority voting systems
were introduced. Based on the Merger Treaties of 1967 to 1971 a single council of ministers
was created. The power of veto was introduced by the Luxembourg Compromise. By the
Single European Act of 1992 the Commission can reject or approve proposals from the
European parliament and that too with increased QMV. By the Lisbon Treaty, this QMV was
once again increased by anticipating the arrival of new incoming members and placing such
members on an equal footing as a co-decision within the European Parliament (Olsen and
McCormick 2018).

3EUROPEAN UNION POLITICS AND POLICIES
References
Olsen, J. and McCormick, J., 2018. The European Union: politics and policies. Routledge