@article{2015:christiansen:euspitzen,
title = {EU-Spitzenkandidaten – neue Impulse und ihre Folgen für das politische System der EU},
year = {2015},
note = {The Lisbon Treaty introduced a small but significant change to the
appointment procedure of the European Commission President, namely the
requirement for the candidate proposed by the European Council to be
elected by the European Parliament. Even though this was on paper only
a minor modification of the existing procedure under which the EP had
to consent to the member states’ chosen candidate, this reform had
nevertheless the potential for wide-ranging repercussions within the
EU’s evolving political system. This article examines the impact
that these changes have had on the dynamics of electoral politics and
executive appointments in the EU, arguing that while there has been a
greater degree of politicisation, this has not resulted in the
establishment of traditional left/right pol­itics expected from the
experience of national politics. Instead, the - somewhat paradox­ical
- effect of the introduction of the Spitzenkandidaten system has been
to cement the grand coalition in the EP and a strengthening of the
supranational institutions vis-à-vis the member states.},
journal = {integration},
pages = {26--43},
author = {Christiansen, Thomas},
volume = {38},
number = {1}
}