OPAL country reports : the Maltese parliament and EU affairs

Abstract

The OPAL country reports inform about the institutional set-up of national parliaments in the European Union and the newly introduced procedures on provisions of the Lisbon Treaty. Experts from all 28 EU member states (including Croatia) have answered a detailed questionnaire provided by OPAL in September 2012. The reports are divided into three sections: 1) constitutional factors and 2) political factors defining the national parliament’s position in the constitutional balance of a member state as well as 3) the new procedures and practice of the parliament for the Early Warning Mechanism and Political Dialogue with the Commission. The information provided in the reports gives some first insights into the “Palgrave Handbook on National Parliaments and the EU” where contributors will elaborate on the complete picture of parliamentary activities in EU affairs in their member state.