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The effect of trilogues on the European Commission's success in legislative negotiations: A reappraisal

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  • Thomas Laloux

Abstract

Informal negotiations have become the norm in the European Union legislative process. Yet, researchers are divided over the effects of this change on the European Commission's ability to defend the content of its proposals from modifications by the co-legislators. This article addresses this puzzle by using a fine-grained measure of whether informal negotiations took place which includes trivial agreements, namely legislation adopted in first reading because the co-legislators agree on the content, as a specific category. The results suggest that informal negotiations do not lead to more changes to the Commission's proposals than the formal process. This calls for a better consideration of trivial agreements in studies of the European Union legislative process.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Laloux, 2024. "The effect of trilogues on the European Commission's success in legislative negotiations: A reappraisal," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(2), pages 440-455, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:25:y:2024:i:2:p:440-455
    DOI: 10.1177/14651165241234150
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    References listed on IDEAS

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