The Early Warning System from the viewpoint of the National Parliaments Representatives in Brussels

Under Protocol No. 2 on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality, national Parliaments have been granted participation in EU law-making through the Early Warning System (EWS). Within the framework of this mechanism, national chambers can evaluate EU legislative proposals on subsidiarity grounds, within an eight-week period, following their submission by the European Commission. The contribution of the National Parliaments Representatives at the European Parliament (or the liaison officers) is crucial for the national chambers to follow up on the Union agenda and participate in EU affairs. This piece offers novel data about the opinions of the national parliamentary representatives in Brussels on the implementation of the EWS and how it might be restructured. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to the liaison officers in April 2022. In short, these transnational practitioners tend to support the enhancement of the broader “political dialogue” between the European Commission and national Parliaments, while they express scepticism towards the idea of reforming the subsidiarity mechanism.