European Union Affairs Scrutiny in The Senate after The Lisbon Treaty: An Evaluation of the Present Practice and Suggestions for the Future
Abstract
Senate of Parliament of the Czech Republic counts among the most active parliamentary chambers in the scrutiny of European affairs. This article first shortly presents possible reasons why.
Main part of the article then concentrates on the various procedures of European affairs scrutiny in the Senate. It describes the relevant legal provisions in the Rules of Procedure of the Senate, as amended following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, and Senate's practice in their interpretation and application.
Among the problems identified stand out the delays in delivering Senate's opinions caused by a complicated scrutiny procedure and a low priority of EU scrutiny in the Senate's schedule. Last part of the article summarises practices and rules the change of which may be considered in order to improve the effectiveness of the scrutiny.