45 Amendments of Mercedes BRESSO related to 2016/2149(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
— having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in particular Article 5 on the conferral of competences and subsidiarity, Article 10(1) on representative democracy, Article 10(2) on the representation of EU citizens, Article 12 on the role of national parliaments, Article 48(3) on the ordinary revision procedure and Article 48(7) (passerelle clause) thereof,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2015 on the review of the economic governance framework: stocktaking and challenges ; having regard to its resolution of 17 December 2015 on completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union ;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
- having regard the Commission package to deepen Economic and monetary union of 6 December 2017 ;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the Five Presidents’ Report ‘Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union’ of 22 June 2015 ;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
- having regards to Article 13 TSCG that has enshrined inter-parliamentary conferences “in order to discuss budgetary policies and other issues covered by the treaty ;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the parliamentary accountability of national governments in European affairs framework that depends on different national practices is the cornerstone of the role of national parliaments in the current European Treaty framework;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. Whereas to improve ownership, national parliaments should scrutinise national governments, just as the European Parliament should scrutinise the European executives ;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas a European public sphere wcould be enforced by the establishment of a European Week, in which national parliamentary chambers would simultaneously discuss European affairs in the presence of Commissioners and Mwith members of the European Parliament and Commission ;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the implementation of the EWS could be greatlyhas improved, as demonstrated by the limited usageatest figures ofn the yellow card procedure and the ineffectiveness of the orange card procedurtotal number of opinions submitted by national Parliaments under the political dialogue;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. Whereas that several national parliaments have expressed their interest in an instrument in the context of improving political dialogue, which would afford national parliaments, having first secured the support of the European Parliament, the opportunity to suggest constructive proposals for the Commission's consideration and with due regard for the Commission's right of initiative;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Q. whereas interinstitutional cooperation has undoubtedly improved after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and of the so-called Barroso initiativepolitical dialogue launched by the Commission in September 2016 giving the national parliaments possibilities to give comments, positive feedbacks or critics on Commission proposals ;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
R. whereas national parliaments occasionally raise grievances about their relations with the European Union, claiming that they are highly complex and on occasion troublesome and inefficientcomplex;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S a (new)
Recital S a (new)
S a. whereas it is necessary to reach a higher level of national and European parliamentary control of fiscal and economic policies, decisions taken, and governance matters at the EU level ;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S b (new)
Recital S b (new)
S b. whereas the decision of the CJEU on 16 May 2017 on the mixed nature of the trade agreement between the EU and Singapore changes the way nationals parliaments will in the future be involved in trade agreements;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S c (new)
Recital S c (new)
S c. whereas a better socialization and exchange of information between the MPs and between national parliament’s civil servants could help to Europeanise the control exercised at the national level ;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S d (new)
Recital S d (new)
S d. Reiterates the necessity to foster the emergence of a genuinely European parliamentary and political culture ;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomesConsiders that the implementation of the rights and obligations of national parliaments deriving from the Treaty of Lisbon; considers that their implementation has enhanced the role of national parliamentarytheir chambers within the European constitutional framework, thus providing for thmore pluralism, democratic legitimacy and goodbetter functioning of the Union ;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Encourages the national Parliaments to exercise their full European function to directly influence the contents of the policies, in particular via the control of their national governments acting as members of the European Council and the Council ;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls that each national parliaments should be granted enough time, information, and powers to scrutinise the activity ofEuropean legislative process, the activity and the decisions taken by of its national governments at European level, whether in the Council or in the European Council, in full compliance with the Member States’ constitutions ; believes that an exchange of best practices and socialization between national parliaments should be promoted in this respect ;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls that national parliaments should be granted enough time and powers to scrutinisehave the right to scrutinise and to control the activity of their national governments also when they act at European level, whether in the Council or in the European Council, in full compliance with the Member States’ constitutions; believes that anthe exchange of best practices between national parliaments should be promoted in this respectstrengthened;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls for the promotion of exchange of best practices in parliamentary scrutiny between national parliaments, as the generalisation of regular debates between the respective ministers and the specialised committees in national parliaments before and after Council meetings, and regular meeting with Commissioners and MEPs ;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Takes the view that care needs to be taken to avoid any ‘gold-plating’ of EU legislation by Member States and that national parliaments have a key role to play here; recalls, at the same time, that this is without prejudice to the right of Member States to the non-regression clause and to lay down, for example, higher social and environmental standards at national level ;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Considers that while Community method should prevail in economic governance for the euro area, European Parliament and national parliaments should exercise a strengthened role in the renewed economic governance framework in order to reinforce economic policies democratic accountability. This includes in addition to an increased national ownership on the European semester and a reform of the interparliamentary conference provided for in Article 13 of the Fiscal Compact to give it more substance, in order to develop a stronger parliamentary and public opinion. Suggests that minutes be published at the end of each Article 13 Interparliamentary conference;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3 e. States that the European Parliament and national parliaments - but also social partners - should be better involved in the European Semester process ;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recommends for a better of appropriation of this instrument that political calendars at national and European level should be better coordinated, by aligning the European Semester with the agendas of national parliaments, in order to coordinate economic policies, but without disregard for the powers of self-governance and the specific rules of procedure of each parliamentary chamber; suggests, therefore, the implementation of a national period for budgetary dialogue, during which national parliaments would be able to deliberate and prepare the European Semester by mandating their own governments in their relations with the Commission and the Council ;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)
Subheading 1 a (new)
Economic policy, democracy and governance (This new subheading should be placed after paragraph 3, after the new tabled paragraphs 3a, 3b, 3c, but before paragraphs 3d and 3e.)
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Underlines that during the last COSAC plenary meeting in Tallin, COSAC recognise that the majority of national Parliaments debate EU matters at the plenary whether at regular intervals or on an ad hoc basis and acknowledges that more plenary debates on EU matters raise the visibility of the Union and give citizens the opportunity to learn more about the agenda of the EU and the positions of political parties on these issues;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that the alignment of different political stances across the Member States could strengthen and expand cross-sectional debates at European level; considers, therefore, that national parliamentary delegations acting before the European Institutions should consist of members from severalreflect political partiesdiversity ; stresses the relevance of the principle of proportionality in this regard ;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the establishment of an annual European week, during which Members of the European Parliament and Commissioners, notably vice-presidents in charge of clusters would simultaneously stand before all national parliamentary assemblies in order to discuss and explain the European agenda; undertakes to coordinate the implementation of a European week, possibly by reviewing its own rules of procedure in order to endorse the initiative, and encourages national parliaments to do the same ;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Believes that meetings between national and European political groups in the frame of EU interparliamentary cooperation are effective means of developing an authentic European political debate ;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Backing reform of the Early warning system (EWS)
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that prior experience with the EWS has proven that drawing a line between the political dimension of the principle of subsidiarity and the legal dimension of, with regard to any new legislative initiative, the Commission is obliged to examine whether the EU has the principle of proportionality is, on occasion, difficult and troublesomeght to take action and whether this is also justified; calls on the Commission, therefore, to reschew an overly narrow interpretation ofpect the principle of subsidiarity, and to make use of reasonable criteria of self-restraint while examiningproportionality, and to take into account the reasoned opinions issued by national parliaments within the EWS;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Takes note of the request from certain national parliaments to extend the eight-week period in which they can issue a reasoned opinion under Article 6; recalls, in this regard, that national parliaments may intervene and consider the question of compliance with the principle of subsidiarity before the presentation of a legislative initiative by the Commission in the form of Green and White Papers or the annual presentation of the Commission’s work programme;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Suggests the implementaRecalls the discussions regarding a possible introduction of a proceduresystem whereby national parliaments could submit reasoned opinionconstructive proposals to the Commission with the aim of positively influencing its powers of legislative initiative, and whereby the Commission could either legislate in line with such opinions or issue a reasoned veto underlining its reasons for not doing sothe European Debate; points out that such a procedure cannot consist of a right to legislative initiative, or a right to withdraw or amend legislation, as it would otherwise subvert the Union method and violate the Treaties; Underlines, however, that it is already possible for national parliaments to present a proposal asking the Commission to act;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. encourages the establishment of more exchanges of officials of institutions and political groups between the administrations of the European Parliament and national parliaments ;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the existing cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments in the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC), in the Interparliamentary Conference on Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP-IPC), and within the framework of Article 13 of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union; stresses that such cooperation should be developed on the basis of the principles of consensus, information-sharing and consultation, in order to exercise control over their respective governments and administrations;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the existing cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments in the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC), in the Interparliamentary Conference on Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP-IPC), and within the framework of Article 13 of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union; stresses that such cooperation should be developed on the basis of the principles of consensus, information-sharing and consultation, in order to exercise control over their respective administrations;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Insists, however, on a clear delineation of the respective decision- making competences of the national parliaments and the European Parliament, where the former should exercise their European function on the basis of their national constitutions, in particular via the control of their national governments as members of the European Council and the Council, which is the level where they are best placed to directly influence the content of and exercise scrutiny over the European legislative process; is therefore against the creation of joint parliamentary decision-making bodies for reasons of transparency, accountability and ability to act;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Points out that strengthening political and technical dialogue between parliamentary committees, both at national and at European level, would be a greatly productive step towards full interparliamentary cooperation; takes the view that additional budgetary resources should be allocated to the Committees of the European Parliament, with the aim of allowing rapporteurs to undertake missions in order to informally discuss with national parliamentary committees the content of their reports; encourages the use of videoconference where possible;