Activities of Andrew DUFF related to 2012/2034(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Relations between the European Parliament and the institutions representing the national governments (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on relations between the European Parliament and the institutions representing the national governments PDF (138 KB) DOC (64 KB)
Amendments (17)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Treaty of Lisbon gave the European Council the status of a European institution, without changing its role. Article 15(1) of the Treaty on European Union states: ‘The European Council shall in order to 'provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and shall define the general political directions and priorities thereof'. It shall not exercise legislative functions’;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, however, under the pressure of the crisis, the European Council has considerably enhancaggrandised its role, increasing the number of extraordinary meetings and raising to European Council level matters normally dealt with at Council of Ministers level; whereas in this respect the European Council has breached the crucial Treaty injunction that it has no legislative functions; whereas the President of the European Council has been given an initiating role, most often exercised in liaison with his counterparts in other institutions, thereby de facto becoming the chief negotiator on behalf of the Member States on matters which, since the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon, fall under co- decision; (third part of Recital C to be moved to a recital Cd (new))
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ca (new)
Recital Ca (new)
Ca. whereas the temptation for the heads of state or government to resort to intergovernmental expedients jeopardises the 'Community method', in breach of the Treaties;
Amendment 10 #
Cb. whereas under the Treaty of Lisbon members of the European Council are accountable individually to their own national parliaments but accountable collectively only to themselves, and that the current President of the European Council denies he is accountable to the European Parliament; whereas these conditions evince a glaring democratic deficit;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Cc (new)
Recital Cc (new)
Cc. whereas the role of the President of the European Commission as a member of the European Council gives rise to ambiguities, rendering him complicit in decisions which may contradict those of the college;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, in agreement with Parliament’s authorities, and in particular through exchanges of letters, President Van Rompuy has sought to take account of information and transparency requirements as far as possible: he has personally met Parliament’s committee chairs, rapporteurs and sherpas to discuss a number of important topics; he has replied to written questions; he has provided regular reports on European Council meetings and had numerous contacts with group chairs;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F Claudette Abela Baldacchino
Recital F Claudette Abela Baldacchino
F. whereas in all these cases, by definition the most important, the absence of formalised dialogue between Parliament and the European Council prevented Parliament from fully playing its role as co-legislator, as laid down in the treaties; whereas the official interlocutors of Parliament’s representatives have often not had the power to properly engage governments; whereas, although they remain theoretically responsible for preparing meetings of the European Council, it is increasingly apparent that the President-in-Office of the Council and the General Affairs Council1 appear to play only2 play no more than a marginal or formtechnical role; whereas although there is greater interest in thethe traditional introductory remarks by the President of the European Parliament at the opening of the meetings of the European Councils, their political impact remains limited; 1 See Article 16have only a limited political impact; (the last part of the Treaty on European Union. 2 See Article 16 of the Treaty on European Union.cital should be moved to the end of recital Fa (new))
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Fa (new)
Recital Fa (new)
Fa. whereas the European Parliament cannot summon the President of the European Council for a debate before meetings of the European Council; whereas Parliament does not organise itself well for the debates in which the President reports back after meetings of the European Council;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas, for its part, Parliament has not always organised itself sufficiently to make known its positions ahead of European Councils for which the agenda was announced well in advanchowever, it is welcome that several heads of government of EU member states are seeking the tribune of the European Parliament for debates on the future of Europe;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ga (new)
Recital Ga (new)
Ga. whereas the operation of the Council of Ministers is a cause for serious concern, and that neither the European Council nor the rotating presidency seems able to bring to its work desirable standards of pace, strategy, consistency, coherence or transparency; whereas such deficiencies in the second chamber of the legislature impair the law making of the European Union;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph - 1 (new)
Paragraph - 1 (new)
- 1. Calls on the next Convention to radically rethink the roles of the European Council and the Council of Ministers in the governance of the Union as established by the Treaty of Lisbon, including that of their respective presidencies, the interaction between them and their relations with the European Parliament and the European Commission;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes, however, that in the light of the experience gained over these four years, there is a need to formalisimprove the working relations between the European Council and Parliament; considers that this could take the form of a joint statement or an exchange of letters;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the conclusions of the European Council are negotiating instructions for the Council of Ministers; in no case do they constitute red lines which cannot be negotiated with Parliament; calls for a standard formula recalling the provisions of Article 15(1) of the Treaty on European Union to be included in the conclusions of the European Council;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Proposes that the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy be invitbe required to take part once a year in the debate on the state of the Union, together with the President of the Commission;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points out that, unlike the President of the Commission, the President of the European Council is not accountable to Parliament, and that the organisation of debates in which he takes part should take this into account, while allowing Members other than the group chairs to talk to the President of the European Council; considers, however, that theUrges the next President of the European Council to participate more fully in the affairs of the European Parliament, engaging in full plenary debates and dealing more thoroughly with written questions pfrocedure does not seem appropriatem MEPs;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for Parliament’s timely involvement, whenever the European Council initiates an action plan or a procedure likely to include a legislative dimension, to be decided in cooperation with Parliament in a form appropriate to each case; insists that the President of the Parliament should participate fully in European Council meetings when inter- institutional questions are addressed; Parliament and the European Council would consequently adapt their internal rules to specify the choice of their respective representatives and the way in which they obtain a negotiating mandate and report on the negotiations;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8