Regional legislatures in the early warning mechanism. When the national (constitutional) identity affects the cooperation among parliaments in EU affairs

By means of a comparative analysis of the early warning mechanism at regional level in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK, the article deals with a crucial junction for the European democratic legitimacy. Indeed, regional parliaments are the directly elected bodies with legislative powers that are closest to the European citizens and those most affected by the transfer of competences to the EU.The article argues that the involvement of regional legislatures in the early warning mechanism can be seen mainly as a tool to strengthen the position of these legislative assemblies in the national context, towards regional executives and the national parliament, aiming to improve the quality of the deliberative process, rather than providing them with powers to directly influence the EU decision-making process.