Consensus and compromise become ordinary - but at what cost? A critical analysis of the impact of the changing norms of codecision upon European Parliament committees

Committees are the repositories of policy expertise within the European Parliament and have played a key role in shaping the institution's influence. However, they face a number of challenges, two of which are explored in this contribution: the use of early agreements under codecision; and the involvement of multiple committees in decision-making. Hypotheses about the likely impact of these twin challenges are developed and tested against the European Climate Change Package. Analysis reveals both conflict and the erosion of the lead committee's influence in one case, which raises questions about the ability of committees to continue to fulfil their expertise function. However, the overall picture to emerge is one of successful inter-committee co-operation.