Is the Crisis Hindering Democratic Procedures? A Case Study Based on Portuguese Parliament-Executive Relations, in the Framework of the Conditionality Agreements

In the framework of an on-going research project, ‘Democracy in the European Union’, the author has been addressing both the underpinnings and the feasibility of a multi-level framework for democracy in the European Union. As intermediate product of that project, the present paper addresses the Portuguese case from the perspective of intra-level national parliament - executive relations, in the framework of European integration, and with a particular focus on the circumstances of the on-going economic crisis. The theoretical underpinnings of the research are based on the literature addressing the linkage between the economic and the political dimensions, in democracies. The guiding research questions are on whether the circumstances of the crisis are fostering both sovereignty transfers to the supranational level and increased governmentalisation at the national level. The connections of the Portuguese parliament with the main EU institutions are therefore briefly examined. At the national level, key issues of conventional parliamentary sovereignty as annual budget approval, legislative initiatives or general scrutiny over government are addressed. For the purpose, evidence stemming from debates in Parliament and data from parliamentary commissions is used, as well as interviews to key actors in the process. At the end, the paper draws conclusions on the impacts of the crisis upon the multi-level democratic system for the case considered, and seeking to pave the way for further comparative analysis.