[Discussion] EU recommends more powers to national parliaments

[Paksoy, Hb]

http://www.euractiv.com/cgi-bin/cgint.exe/?targ=3D1&204&OIDN=3D1503936

Date: 20/09/2002    =20

EU Convention recommends more powers for national parliaments
In short:
National parliaments should have more say in EU lawmaking, according to =
the
conclusions of the European Convention's Working Group on the Principle =
of
Subsidiarity, adopted on 19 September. =20
  =20


Background:
In December 2001, EU leaders set up a Convention to prepare a reform of =
EU
policies and institutions so that the Union can enlarge to new Member
States.=20

The role of national parliaments is one of the main topics, discussed =
by the
Convention, and there is a Convention working group dealing with this =
issue.


Issues:
The Working Group on the Principle of Subsidiarity, chaired by Spanish =
MEP
Inigo Mendez de Vigo, is in favour of shifting the balance of power in =
the
EU towards the national parliaments.=20

This will please Britain, France and Spain who demand more powers for =
the
national parliaments and governments at the expense of common EU =
bodies.=20

The subsidiarity working group proposes that national deputies could =
reject
laws proposed by the Commission if they believed the issues could be =
better
dealt with at a national level.=20

The working group also called for an "early warning system" with which
national parliaments would ensure that the Commission is not =
transgressing
its mandate. The group proposes that the Commission should send =
proposed
laws to national parliaments who would decide whether the issue should =
be
dealt with at the EU or national level. The European Court of Justice =
could
be asked to arbitrate in case of disagreement.=20

Another Working Group of the Convention, dealing with the role of =
national
parliaments, has endorsed this plan.=20

Positions:
The Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees (COSAC) has
called for more powers for the national parliaments in a working paper =
for
its next meeting in Copenhagen on 16-18 October 2002. Some of COSAC's =
main
proposals:=20

the role of the national parliaments in EU politics is to be enhanced=20
EU law-making procedures and deadlines must allow the possibility for =
the
democratic integration of EU politics into the national parliaments=20
COSAC is to be reformed into a Forum of Parliaments, which will be =
tasked
with:=20
enhancing the role of the national parliaments in EU politics=20
enhancing parliamentary co-operation between the national and European
parliamentarians=20
ensuring contacts and co-operation with EU institutions.
The British Government was the first to propose a "subsidiarity =
watchdog" to
monitor the Commission and rule whether decisions should be taken by =
the EU
or national governments. Such a body would be made up of one member of
parliament from each of the 15 EU Member States. It would meet six =
times a
year, and would act to prevent any initiative by the Commission or the
Council of Ministers to give more power to the EU.=20

Next Steps:
The issue of subsidiarity will be discussed at the next plenary session =
of
the Convention on 3-4 October.=20

The Convention President, Val=E9ry Giscard d'Estaing, pledged to table =
the
draft proposal for a future EU Constitutional Treaty by November 2002. =
His
objective is to have the final proposal ready for the EU Summit in =
mid-2003.


The Convention will be followed by an Intergovernmental Conference in =
2003
or 2004 to decide on the revision of the treaties.=20

Links:=20
Time-saving documents:=20

Overview: Role of the national parliaments in the EU=20
Linksdossier: Future EU=20
Timeline: The Future of the EU Debate=20
Overview: The Future of the EU Debate=20
Overview: EU institutional reform
Official documents:=20

European Convention: Working Group on the Principle of Subsidiarity: =
Summary
of the meeting on 9 September 2002=20
European Convention: Simplification of the Treaties and drawing up of a
constitutional treaty (10 September 2002)=20
European Convention: Non-Paper: Sch=E9ma possible pour un "trait=E9 de =
base"=20
European Convention: Documents concerning the debate on the role of =
national
parliaments=20
European Convention: Delimitation of competence between the European =
Union
and the Member States (CONV 47/02) [FR] [DE] (15 May 2002)=20

COSAC: Proposal for enhancing the role of the national parliaments in
European politics and for the reform of COSAC into the forum of the
parliaments [FR] (11 July 2002)
EU Actors' positions:=20

CEPS: Laying building blocks or just window dressing? - The first Half =
Year
of the Convention (July 2002)=20
The European Policy Centre: The Role of National Parliaments in the =
Future
EU (18 September 2002)=20
The European Policy Centre: Convention on the Future of Europe - End of =
Term
Report (10 September 2002)
Press articles: Financial Times=20
=20

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