2025/10/07 by Marine Bardou, Tom Delreux · 1 voice
Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #European Union Policy and Governance #International Arbitration and Investment Law #World Trade Organization Law
paper · doi:10.1080/13501763.2025.2566343
openalex publication_date 2025/10/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the consent of the European Parliament is required for the ratification of international agreements. Besides actually vetoing the ratification, the EP can also recommend a veto or delay its decision. We refer to such a contestation of the ratification of an international agreement as a ‘ratification challenge’. Focusing on the dyadic EP-Commission relationship, this paper examines under which conditions EP ratification challenges occur. Based on a Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 34 agreements, we identify three explanations for EP ratification challenges: (1) major controversial agreements neutralising interinstitutional mechanisms; (2) agreements with shielded EP concerns about human rights, democracy and the rule of law; and (3) agreements with important economic impacts and specific sensitive issues. Overall, the results highlight the importance of EP-Commission interinstitutional mechanisms and show that parliamentary contestation can emerge even in the absence of politicisation.