Package deals in the EU legislative process represent a mechanism through which Member States exert control over financial aspects of legislation to ensure its timely passage. This study analyzes interchamber exchanges between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, revealing that these agreements allow parliaments access to high-cost policy areas while maintaining conditional approval based on distributive nature and urgency.

Data & Methods: Examines 2369 issues across all EU legislation completed from May 1999 to April 2007. Analyzes legislative proposals (totaling 1465) spanning 19 policy domains using logrolling techniques.

Key Findings: Package deals are strategically employed by member states through financial leverage. In return, the European Parliament gains disproportionate influence in economically significant policy sectors.

Implications: These findings demonstrate how institutional design enables indirect control over EU legislative outcomes and significantly shapes political representation within Europe's decision-making structures.