Spokes in the Wheel. European Affairs and Parliamentary Administration in German Landtage

This paper examines the role of parliamentary administrations. Over the last decades, regional parliaments were usually considered to play a minor role in European affairs. Not only was the politicization of EU related decision-making low at the regional level, but politicians elected into these bodies have often lacked vested interests and capacities to become more involved in dealing with complex multi-level questions. After the constitutional strengthening of the role of regional parliaments in EU decision-making, this paper considers one relatively under-researched aspect behind the growing appetite of regional parliaments to become more involved in the scrutiny of EU affairs: the role of unelected parliamentary officials. Based on qualitative interviews in six German regional parliaments we highlight how vertical and horizontal administrative networks among parliamentary staff have enabled the growing engagement of regional parliaments and discuss the potentials and dangers of the bureaucratization of parliamentary activity.