From the periphery to the centre of EU power
Richard Corbett
Former Member of the European Parliament , co-rapporteur on the Constitutional Treaty and on the Lisbon Treaty
Unlike most national parliaments , the European Parliament has never regarded itself as part of a settled constitutional system , but rather as part of one that was evolving and that required change . Hence , it sought not only to influence day-to-day policies , but also to change the basic framework of the Union . It repeatedly pressed the Member States to revise the treaties , which constitute the basic rulebook or de facto constitution of the Union . It also sought to interpret the treaties , stretching them like a piece of elastic , and to supplement them with interinstitutional agreements or by unilaterally introducing new practices .
When the European Community ( now the European Union ) was created , it was given powers to adopt binding legislation in a limited number of fields . But the power to adopt such legislation was given to the Council , composed of ministers representing national governments , acting on a proposal of the Commission , a
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