The life and times of the European Union's co-operation procedure

Using the analytical headings provided by John Fitzmaurice in his initial analysis of the co-operation procedure in 1988, this article examines the perceptions of leading actors within the European Parliament (EP), and some of the officials most closely involved in the detailed discussion of legislative proposals within the Commission, about the co-operation procedure in the 1989-94 parliament. It explores not only the assessment of 'insiders' of the EP's legislative 'effectiveness' in this period, but also maps out how key participants viewed the changing interinstitutional patterns attendant upon the co-operation procedure. The interviews in this study provide a unique perspective on what Fitzmaurice terms the 'ratchet principle' of institutional reform, and contribute to the historical record of institutional innovation within the EU.