Subsidiarity as a means to enhance cooperation between EU institutions and national parliaments

The Treaty of Lisbon has entrusted national parliaments with the responsibility to monitor the respect of the principle of subsidiarity in new EU legislative proposals adopted in areas of non-exclusive EU competence (so-called Early Warning System). The Commission has been the primary interlocutor of parliaments in this framework, although Parliament also receives and follows-up on national parliaments' reasoned opinions. Despite positive developments visible both at EU and national level, important challenges remain, in particular in relation to the limited scope offered by the Early Warning System for more political engagement.