Essays on legislative decision-making in the European Union

Legislation adopted by the European Union (EU) affects the daily lives of residents within the Union. These laws result from negotiations and interactions among the main decision-making bodies of the EU, including the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU. These interactions involve numerous actors with different preferences, procedural and de facto bargaining power, and agendas. Additionally, informal factors such as the culture of consensus in the Council influence the legislative decision-making process in the EU. In five chapters, this thesis examines how these differences among actors shape the outcomes of legislative decisions in the EU. A formal game theoretic model is used to illuminate both the formal and informal interactions between the European institutions and within the Council of the EU. Another part of this thesis aims to provide insights into how member states’ policy positions, domestic public opinion, and their stance on the EU budget relate to their voting behavior in the Council. Furthermore, this thesis investigates whether member states with similar ideological and policy positions exhibit higher voting alignment in the Council of the EU.