In the end, it could be a ‘no’. Conditions of ratification challenges on international agreements by the European Parliament

In the end, it could be a ‘no’. Conditions of ratification challenges on international agreements by the European Parliament

Bardou, M., & Delreux, T. (2026). In the end, it could be a ‘no’. Conditions of ratification challenges on international agreements by the European Parliament. Journal of European Public Policy, 33(11), 3031–3059. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2025.2566343 

Résumé

Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the consent of the European Parliament is required for the ratification of international agreements. Besides actually vetoing the ratification, the EP can also recommend a veto or delay its decision. We refer to such a contestation of the ratification of an international agreement as a ‘ratification challenge’. Focusing on the dyadic EP-Commission relationship, this paper examines under which conditions EP ratification challenges occur. Based on a Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 34 agreements, we identify three explanations for EP ratification challenges: (1) major controversial agreements neutralising interinstitutional mechanisms; (2) agreements with shielded EP concerns about human rights, democracy and the rule of law; and (3) agreements with important economic impacts and specific sensitive issues. Overall, the results highlight the importance of EP-Commission interinstitutional mechanisms and show that parliamentary contestation can emerge even in the absence of politicisation.

KEYWORDS: European Parliament, international agreements, ratification, ratification challenge, consent procedure, Qualitative Comparative Analysis