On Thursday 31 October, the Jean Monnet Network on ‘Interparliamentary Cooperation in EU External Action – Parliamentary Scrutiny and Diplomacy in the EU and Beyond’ (PACO) will hold its final conference in Brussels. By bringing together international academic experts and high-level practitioners, the conference will raise important questions regarding the interface of parliamentary practices and EU external action. Participation is free.
Over the last three years, the Jean Monnet Network ‘Interparliamentary Cooperation in the EU’s external action – Parliamentary Scrutiny and Diplomacy in the EU and beyond’ (PACO) has brought together three inter-related teaching and research areas: EU external relations, inter-parliamentary cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy.
The aim of this final PACO-conference is to understand parliamentary practices in general and parliamentary cooperation and diplomacy more specifically in the wider perspective of EU external relations. It brings together the main research findings of PACO on the involvement of parliaments in EU external relations, inter-parliamentary cooperation between the European Parliament and National Parliaments in the EU, as well as bilateral and multilateral parliamentary diplomacy between the EP and third countries and regions.
By bringing together international academic experts and high-level practitioners, the conference will raise important questions regarding the interface of parliamentary practices and EU external action: can the involvement of parliaments in EU external relations and EU inter-parliamentary cooperation be regarded as tools to enhance the legitimacy of EU external action and can parliamentary diplomacy be classified as a complementary instrument of EU external action and diplomacy? To which degree do such parliamentary practices contribute to the EU ‘s overall effectiveness in external relations?
