A Critical Discussion of the European Parliament’s Evolution as an Institution of the EU

Introduction
It is apparent that the European Parliament (EP) has evolved greatly since its inception as a mere chamber for debate into a distinct legislative institution.1 The changes wrought by developments within the European Community (EC) and later European Union (EU) have caused much discussion on the role of the EP and its competences. As an institution it represents the efforts of the Member States (MS) to form a closer union because of its democratic characteristic as the sole fully-elected body of the EU.2
This essay seeks to explore several of these advances consisting of an examination of its status as an elected body with an evaluation of three key debates on the EP. The first of these pertains to its legislative role in relation to the Council of Ministers,3 comprising a consideration of the various legislative procedures employed within the EU. This first area also includes a brief review of the EP’s budgetary powers which are relevant to the discussion at hand. Following this, the institution’s role as an initiator of legislation will be analysed and compared with the European Commission’s almost exclusive right to initiate such legislation. The final matter which is significant in the evolution of the EP concerns its role as an applicant before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) during legislation annulment proceedings.