Draft legislative resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
For information, the statement reads as follows: ‘The European Parliament regrets that its role of co-legislator has not been duly taken into account in the procedure leading to the selection of the new seat of the European Banking Authority (EBA). The European Parliament wishes to recall its prerogatives as co-legislator and insists on the full respect of the ordinary legislative procedure in relation to the location of bodies and agencies. As the only directly elected Union institution it is the first guarantor of the respect of the democratic principle in the Union. The European Parliament condemns the procedure followed for the selection of the new location of the seat, which has de facto deprived the European Parliament of its prerogatives since it was not effectively involved in the process, but is now expected to simply confirm the selection made for the new location of the seat by means of the ordinary legislative procedure. The European Parliament recalls that the Common Approach annexed to the Joint Statement of the European Parliament, Council and European Commission on decentralised agencies signed in 2012 is legally non-binding, as acknowledged in the Statement itself and that it was agreed without prejudice to the legislative powers of the institutions. The European Parliament welcomes that the selection procedure of the new seat of the agency was based on selection criteria referred to in the Common Approach, but deplores that it was eventually concluded by drawing lots. The Parliament insists therefore that the procedure followed for the selection of the new location of the seat will be reformed in the future. The European Parliament underlines that the procedure followed for the selection of the new location of the seat, which has its basis in the Common Approach, is of a pure inter- governmental nature and that asking for confirmation of the selection made by means of the ordinary legislative procedure reflects the friction between this intergovernmental process and the community method, bearing the risk to undermine the community method. Finally, the European Parliament wishes to recall as well that in the Inter-institutional Agreement on Better Law-Making of 13 April 20161 the three institutions committed to sincere and transparent cooperation while recalling the equality of both co-legislators as enshrined in the Treaties.’ ______________________1b. Approves its statement annexed to this resolution; Or. en OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1.