Should the European Parliament Gain the Right of Initiative for Legislation?

The blog discusses the proposal for the European Parliament (EP) to gain the right to initiate legislation. The author argues that this would represent the most significant change in the functioning of this body in its 45 years of existence. While the advantages of introducing the right to initiate legislation are obvious (it would strengthen the democratic element in the functioning of the EU), there are also a number of significant disadvantages.