“The role of national parliaments and European Parliament as guardians of European values: the case of democracy and the rule of law in Cyprus”

Abstract

National parliaments, alongside the European Parliament, form a constituent part of the democratic legitimacy chain of the Union and play an integral role in promoting EU values in decision-making. This paper aims to assess the role of national parliaments, supranationally within the governance of the EU, but also the democratic standards that national parliaments must meet when acting internally, outside the scope of EU law. These findings will then be put into practice to assess the Cypriot Parliament as a guardian of European values nationally, which provides for valuable insights due to its unique constitutional setting. The assessment is specifically conducted in relation to: (a) the internal organisation and composition of the national Parliament and preparatory procedures and (b) the proposal, drafting and implementation of national laws. The paper then assesses the role of the EP in further supporting national parliaments in their role as guardians of European values nationally.