Publication

This paper explores the effects of EU enlargement on the workings of the European Parliament (EP). It finds that, despite the influx of many new members, parties have remained cohesive, and legislative output has remained steady. However, in order to remain efficient in the face of increasing complexity, the EP has had to streamline its working procedures, moving more decisions to parliamentary committees and cutting down time for debate. The authors argue that measures to increase efficiency run the risk of undermining the EP's legitimacy as bureaucratization increasingly trumps politicization.