The paper gives a sociological institutionalist account of the evolution of ideas on the role of national parliaments in debates in the Assemblée nationale and the Bundestag from the treaty of Maastricht to the treaty of Lisbon and beyond. A quantitative and qualitative frame-analysis is deployed to compare statements over time.
The article argues that a converging focus on (national) parliamentary representation in both parliamentary chambers is a result of the thickening of EU institutional structures. Differences on how national parliaments should provide legitimacy to the EU can be understood by different roles parliaments play in the domestic arena. The results are discussed in view of recent studies on the parliamentary debates on EU instruments for the resolution of the Eurozone crisis.
