The role of the European Parliament and national parliaments in the procedure of concluding international agreements by the European Union

The entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon did not cause fundamental changes in the European Parliament's competences as regards the external policy of the European Union, but it did result in fundamental changes with reference to new competences vested in national parliaments, including competences in the sphere of the EU external policy. The aim of the article is to answer the question on the scope of competences of the European Parliament and national parliaments in the process of concluding international agreements by the European Union. The problem is analysed at both the EU and national levels. The point of reference is Article 218 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union specifying the procedure of concluding international agreements by the European Union, and in the case of the analysis of the national parliaments' general competences, also the competences of the Polish parliament and the relevant national legal acts are discussed.