Under which conditions can the European Parliament decide legislative outcomes?

Extract

[...] All these interrogations are a rather problematic issue since they, in fact, raise the question of the repartition of powers within the European Community and so illustrates the tensions between two opposite tendencies: intergovernmentalism and supranationalism. Yet, it can be asserted that the European Parliament is an institution with increasing legislative power, even if it still remains quite submitted to the other two community institutions. It cannot be denied that the European Parliament is an institution with increasing legislative power. Its official role in the legislative procedure has been really improved so as to make it become a compulsory partner of the Commission and the Council of Ministers within the legislative procedure. [...]

[...] Under which conditions can the European Parliament decide legislative outcomes? The European Parliament is, with the Commission and the Council of Ministers, one of the three major institutions of the European Union. From the first Assembly established by the treaty coal and steal in 1951 to an institution elected directly by the people of the European Union by universal direct vote, the European Parliament has indisputably gained much power and recognition since it is now the first institution listed in the T.E.U . [...]

[...] What can be damageable for the influence of the European Parliament within the legislative process is the question of its legitimacy and accountability. As, since decided in 1976, the Parliament is elected by universal direct suffrage, its legitimacy should be quite important as it represents the people of Europe as opposed to the Council that stands for States. Yet, deputies are elected by State, at the end of campaigns that are based, most of the times, on national issues and can be considered in some countries as tests for national governments. [...]

[...] Menacing to reject the draft of the budget can be a means for the Parliament to gain more respect from the Council that so must act more respectably of Parliament's amendments and comments. This is not for the Parliament a real means of controlling the Council of Ministers but of influencing some decisions. The Parliament has also means to influence the Commission. First, the Parliament is given by the treaty the right to request the Commission to submit a proposal in any area, but it also can put pressure on the Commission since it possesses the right, even if the quorum is very hard to reach, to censor the Commission, which is an important moral power. [...]

[...] The power of the Parliament in legislative affairs has gradually increased through these three procedures. The co-operation procedure was introduced by the SEA, the co-decision procedure by the TEU and gradually more and more legislative areas have moved from the consultation and co-operation procedures to the co-decision and the assent ones, even in such important matters as free circulation or labour for the co-decision and agreements about enlargement for the assent. So, it cannot be denied that the Parliament is given relatively important legislative power that was increased by each new treaty. [...]