This book examines the gradually increasing role of national parliaments in the European Union and asks how and why this came about. It takes Ireland as a case study, examining the relationship between Ireland's parliament (the Oireachtas) and the European Union. It also focuses sharply on parliament's role in European affairs in Ireland, a jurisdiction of strong comparative interest to the UK . It examines the evolution in national parliaments' roles, the reasons for change and the challenges that must be faced in making further progress. The book analyses Ireland's slow parliamentary adaptation to European integration, analyses the impact of the Lisbon Treaty and economic crises in accelerating reform, and identifies where improvement is still badly needed.

Preface
1. The development of a role for national parliaments in the European Union
2. Why are we augmenting the role of national parliaments in European affairs? Should we continue to do so?
3. A slow adaptor? Eliciting a response from the Irish parliament to European integration
4. The Lisbon Treaty and economic crisis: catalysts for reform of the Oireachtas role in European Union affairs
5. Where we stand now: an overview of the role of the Oireachtas in European Union affairs
6. Looking to the future: reflections on how the role of the Irish parliament in European affairs might be improved
Index

Author

Gavin Barrett is Jean Monnet Professor of European Constitutional and Economic Law and a
Professor at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin