Inside the Engine Room of the European Parliament: Consensus, Cohesion and Coherence in the Committees of the European Parliament

Parliamentary committees play a decisive role in lawmaking, yet their internal dynamics remain largely unexplored in political science – particularly when it comes to voting behavior. This book breaks new ground by systematically analyzing committee-level voting in the European Parliament (EP), drawing on an original dataset that covers the EP’s 8th legislative term (2014 – 2019). It offers the first comprehensive empirical assessment of how consensus, cohesion and coherence emerge within committees and how these dynamics shape legislative outcomes.

Through rigorous analysis, the book reveals how internal committee decisions influence the EP’s institutional role, legislative efficiency, and democratic legitimacy. It situates the EP—characterized by strong committees and exceptional transparency—within comparative parliamentary research and uses it as a lens to explore broader questions of legislative governance within the European Union and beyond.

By linking empirical findings to key theoretical debates, this book contributes to a deeper understanding of legislative behavior, institutional negotiation, and the evolving nature of parliamentary democracy. As such, it is an essential resource for scholars of EU politics, legislative studies, and institutional theory.

Dr. Moritz F. Wiesenthal holds a PhD in International and European Politics and currently serves as policy advisor at the European Affairs Department of the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony (Germany).