Holyrood and Europe: an Incremental Response to Deparliamentarization

Over time, the influence of parliaments has been called into question and academic studies have tended to portray them as inherently reactive. The net result has arguably been the 'deparliamentarization' of contemporary politics. Their limited influence has been further circumscribed by external constraints, including European integration. The situation for regional legislatures is exacerbated further because their executives are usually one step removed from decision making in the EU. Whilst both the multi-level governance and the Europeanization of domestic policy concepts have served to highlight the involvement of regional actors in the EU, questions remain as to the efficacy of regional legislatures over European affairs. Examining the Scottish Parliament, this article argues that despite its lack of formal powers over the UK government's conduct in the EU, Holyrood has succeeded in carving out a distinctive role for itself, albeit that this relates primarily to those EU issues that are of direct relevance to Scotland.