The European Parliament – Democracy at the Heart of the Union – Legislative Powers, Electoral Dynamics, and Democratic Accountability in the EU’s Representative Institution (C203-I)

This course explores the European Parliament’s structure, powers, and role in shaping EU law and democratic legitimacy. You’ll gain: Institutional Foundations Understand the Parliament’s composition, electoral system, and political groups Learn its legislative, budgetary, and supervisory powers under the Lisbon Treaty Explore the role of MEPs, committees, and plenary sessions Legislative Process & Influence Track how Parliament co-legislates with the Council under the ordinary procedure Examine amendments, trilogues, and interinstitutional negotiations Coordinate with the Commission, Council, and national parliaments Monitoring & Impact Build dashboards for legislative tracking, voting behavior, and policy alignment Analyze election results, turnout trends, and democratic engagement metrics Support ESG disclosures, transparency, and citizen participation Integration & Governance Align Parliament’s work with EU treaties, subsidiarity, and proportionality Embed climate, digital, and social justice into legislative priorities Monitor accountability, ethics, and institutional balance Tools & Platforms Use platforms like Europarl, Votewatch Europe, and EU Open Data Portal Automate legislative tracking, voting analysis, and stakeholder engagement Monitor alerts, KPIs, and democratic performance indicators Strategic Impact Improve democratic legitimacy, policy scrutiny, and citizen trust Reduce opacity, fragmentation, and institutional disconnect Support ESG goals, inclusive governance, and EU strategic autonomy