International parliament

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An international parliament or supranational legislature is a branch of an intergovernmental organization that is similar to a parliament, thus establishing a hybrid system of intergovernmentalism and supranationalism. These could be based on a predecessor inter-parliamentary institution or a newly established organization-level legislature.

International parliaments generally do not have legislative powers; an exception is the European Parliament, which has legislative powers in the European Union.

Such branches of intergovernmental organizations are typically established in order to provide for representation of citizens, rather than governments who are represented in other bodies within the organization. The assembly can be composed of members of the national legislatures (whose members are directly elected in most cases) or of its own directly elected members, further strengthening the supranationalism of the organization.

List of international parliaments[]

See also: Inter-parliamentary institution
Inter-parliamentary institutions and international parliaments
Name Sessions Legislative power Direct election Related organization and notes
ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly 1977 - no no Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Inter-Parliamentary Union 1889 - no no none
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) 1949 - no no CoE
European Parliament[note 1] 1952 - 1970 1979 EU
Nordic Council 1953 - no no none
Benelux Parliament 1955 - no no Benelux Union
Assembly of the Western European Union 1955-2011 no no WEU that dissolved and was effectively succeeded by the EU.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly 1955 - no no NATO
Latin American Parliament 1964 - no no none [note 2]
African Parliamentary Union 1976 - no no none
Andean Parliament 1979 - no no CAN
British Irish Parliamentary Assembly 1990 - no no none [note 3]
Central American Parliament 1991 - no 1991 - SICA
Baltic Assembly 1991 - no no none
Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 1992 - no no OSCE
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States 1992 - no no CIS
Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy 1994- no no
Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States 1999 - no no OIC
Asian Parliamentary Assembly 1999 - no no none [note 4]
ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly 2000 - no no none [note 5]
East African Legislative Assembly 2001 - no no EAC
2002 - no no EurAsEC
Arab Parliament 2004 - no no AL
Pan African Parliament 2004 - no [note 6] no [note 6] AU
Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly 2006 - no no none [note 7]
Mercosur Parliament 2007 - no 2014 [note 8] Mercosur
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries 2008 - no no Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States
no CARICOM
no UEMOA
no ECOWAS
no no OdLF
Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly 2004 - 2010[note 9] no no none [note 10]
(PA-UfM)[note 11] 2010 - no no Union of the Mediterranean
Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) 2005 - no no none
Euronest Parliamentary Assembly 2011 no no none [note 12]
South American Parliament proposed USAN
United Nations Parliamentary Assembly proposed UN
proposed WTO
  1. ^ The initially consultative European Parliamentary Assembly of ECSC, EEC and Euratom subsequently was renamed, gained legislative powers and became directly elected.
  2. ^ Multiple regional organizations in Latin America such as the Rio Group, Latin American Economic System and Latin American Integration Association have similar membership.
  3. ^ Multiple regional organizations in the British Isles have similar membership.
  4. ^ The Asian Cooperation Dialogue continental organization has similar membership.
  5. ^ Parliamentary Assembly established by the Cotonou Agreement between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.
  6. ^ a b There are proposals to transform the Pan African Parliament into a directly elected international parliament with legislative powers.
  7. ^ Established by the parliaments of the European Union, Mercosur, Andean Community, Central American Integration System, Mexico, Chile and the Latin American Parliament.
  8. ^ The Mercosur Parliament is expected to transform into a directly elected international parliament in 2014.
  9. ^ Absorbed by the Pundarliamentary Assembly of the Union of the Mediterranean.
  10. ^ Related to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership initiative of the EU's European Neighborhood Policy.
  11. ^ Absorbing the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
  12. ^ Related to the Eastern Partnership initiative of the EU's European Neighborhood Policy.

See also[]

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