Political factors affecting European Union legislative decision-making speed

Lei, Y. (2023)

Doctoral Thesis

crucial to identify important factors in the EU legislative decision-making process that may impact its speed. This understanding can assist decision-makers in identifying the root causes of legislative stagnation and devising strategies to mitigate them, thereby culminating in the creation of policies that hold democratic legitimacy to effectively tackle the dilemma faced by the EU. Stakeholder involvement in EU decision-making processes has become a critical aspect for the EU, particularly for the European Commission, to enhance democratic legitimacy and internal power. However, reconciling divergent stakeholder opinions poses a challenge for EU decision-makers. Based on four empirical studies, this dissertation examines why it is necessary to consider stakeholder opinions and member-states preferences, as well as how they interact to influence decision-making outcomes. By utilizing quantitative analyses and qualitative case studies, this dissertation underlines how negative stakeholder opinions influence the positions adopted by member states within the Council, thereby increasing the transaction costs of bargaining among member states by prolonging the legislative process and consequently leads to efficiency losses. The findings shed light on the difficult task of resolving the democratic deficit in EU legislative politics and the implications for balancing the democratic legitimacy and political efficiency of EU policymaking systems.

• European Union
• Legislative decision-making
• Stakeholders opinions
• Member-states preferences
• Causal Mechanisms
• Responsiveness
• Democratic legitimacy
• Political efficiency

• All authors: Lei, Y.
• Supervisor: Steunenberg, B.
• Co-supervisor: Ruiter, R. de
• Committee: Muller, E.R.; Yesilkagit, A.K.; Keulen, M. van; Toshkov, D.; Vanhoonacker, S.M.R.L.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University
• Date: 2023-09-27
• ISBN (print): 9789090376585
• Sponsorship: Chinese Scholarship Council