Parliamentarisation of the CFSP through informal institution-making? The fifth European Parliament and the EU high representative

This article examines whether the European Parliament has been able to use the institution of the High Representative as a lever to increase its powers in the EU's common foreign and security policy. Since it is found that the EP's strategy towards the HR has neither brought it any informal powers nor been instrumental in forcing the proposal of an EU Foreign Minister, a formal intergovernmentalist position appears to be vindicated. Yet from an institutionalist perspective it may be retorted that the few attainments of the EP so far are a consequence of it having a far higher sensitivity to failure on CFSP-related issues than on well-institutionalized European Community policies. As a future Foreign Minister will be better able than the HR to secure some degree of political independence from the Council, this may well lead the European Parliament to reassess its strategy and to adopt a more assertive stance.