Democracy in action – Having your say in Brussels
Why do you need new laws?
It is suggested here that students should first write down some ideas and discuss them,
then check out five possible reasons – will their ideas match these? have they found other reasons?
For convenience these Lesson Plans can be downloaded for printing
Why do you need laws that apply to all member states of the EU ?
Again, students should first write down their ideas and discuss them,
then check out three suggested reasons – see if their ideas match? have they found other reasons?
Who makes new laws?
There are many people and groups involved in suggesting new laws and how they should work.
- Pressure groups see where particular problems are and how new laws could solve them.
- Lobbyists represent the interests of both commercial organisations and pressure groups.
There are three main institutions that need to agree on new EU laws . . .
Role-play debates
Setting up the debates, and following through the democratic process.
European Commission/ Parliament/ Council of Ministers
This module suggests debating the making of a new law.
Role-play is set in turn in two levels of the European Parliament and then in the Council of Ministers, following the normal process of law-making.
This module complements the introductory exercise on why new laws may be needed
and How the EU makes laws.
- Objectives and introduction
- Preparing for the debates
- A Specialist Committee of the European Parliament
- A full session of the European Parliament
- The Council of Ministers