2012/2034(INI) | [ParlTrack]

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)

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

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 13 #

Motion for a resolution
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 to the enlarged Conference of Presidents and had numerous contacts with group chairs;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas this practice is worth formalising so that it can serve as a precedent for the future; whereas it should also be improved, given that: on the European patent system, the European Council called into question a legislative agreement concluded between Parliament and the Council; on economic governance, the European Council saw fit to renegotiate provisions identical to those which a previous regulation had already made applicable; on an EU banking supervisory authority, the European Council adopted two contradictory positions one year apart, which it could have avoided by taking greater account of Parliament’s position; whereas negotiations on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework saw the legislative process held to ransom: the legally required unanimity in the Council could only be achieved by pre-empting certain major policy choices in the regulations on the policies to be financed, which, in some areas, reduces Parliament’s role to one of merely amending secondary provisions;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas this practice ~~is worth formalising so that it can serve as a precedent for the future; whereas it~~ should also be improved, given that: on the European patent system, the European Council called into question a legislative agreement concluded between Parliament and the Council; on economic governance, the European Council saw fit to renegotiate provisions identical to those which a previous regulation had already made applicable; on an EU banking supervisory authority, the European Council adopted two contradictory positions one year apart, which it could have avoided by taking greater account of Parliament’s position; whereas negotiations on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework saw the legislative process held to ransom: the legally required unanimity in the Council could only be achieved by pre-empting certain major policy choices in the regulations on the policies to be financed, which, in some areas, reduces Parliament’s role to one of merely amending secondary provisions;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Ea (new)

Ea. whereas the European Council has overstepped the powers assigned to it in Europe's institutional structure by the Treaties, for example by calling a legislative agreement between Parliament and the Council on the European patent system into question and renegotiating provisions on economic governance that had already been made applicable by means of a regulation; whereas in the space of one year the European Council adopted two contradictory positions on the banking supervisory authority; whereas the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework saw the legislative process held to ransom: the legally required unanimity in the Council could only be achieved by pre-empting certain major policy choices in the regulations on the policies to be financed, which, in some areas, reduces Parliament’s role to one of merely amending secondary provisions;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
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 Council~~1 appear to play only~~2 play no more than a marginal or ~~form~~technical role; whereas ~~although there is greater interest in the~~the 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 16~~have only a limited political impact; (the last part of the Tre~~aty 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 18 #

Marietta GIANNAKOU

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

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 there are often unjustified delays on the part of the Council in the negotiations on key issues; whereas the official interlocutors of Parliament’s representatives have often not had the power to properly engage governments and the presentation and discussion of national governments' positions are often needlessly delayed; whereas, although theoretically responsible for preparing meetings of the European Council, the President-in-Office of the Council and the General Affairs Council appear to play only a marginal or formal role; whereas although there is greater interest in the introductory remarks by the President of the European Parliament at the opening of European Councils, their political impact remains limited;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

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 theoretically responsible for preparing meetings of the European Council, the President-in-Office of the Council and the General Affairs Council appear to play only a marginal or formal role; whereas although there is greater interest in the introductory remarks by the President of the European Parliament at the opening of European Councils, their political impact remains limited;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5

– having regard to Rules 48, 110 and 127 of its Rules of Procedure,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
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

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 advanc~~however, 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)

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 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Ga (new)

Ga. whereas the European Union's rotating Council Presidency has proved to be a disadvantage, since the adoption of key legislative acts is delayed by the six- monthly change of Presidency, continuity in the work of the Council of the European Union is not sufficiently guaranteed by the troika made up of the previous, current and forthcoming Presidency, and Member States are not always adequately prepared for the administrative and political tasks involved when taking over the Presidency;

Amendment 24 #

Marietta GIANNAKOU

Motion for a resolution
Recital Ga (new)

Ga. whereas the exchange of political positions on activities and procedures with a legislative dimension is preceded by technical meetings between the co- legislators, which should produce a practical result rather than being formal in nature, so as to prepare the political procedure swiftly and effectively;

Amendment 25 #

Alain LAMASSOURE

Motion for a resolution
Recital Ga (new)

Ga. whereas Article 17(7) of the Treaty on European Union will apply for the first time after the forthcoming European elections; whereas this key provision is intended to enable the President of the Commission to be elected by citizens through the election of their Members of Parliament, as is consistent with a parliamentary system; whereas this outcome can be achieved only if European political parties, Parliament and the European Council act in keeping with this spirit, in line with their respective responsibilities, notably in the context of consultations aimed at implementing Declaration 11 annexed to the Lisbon Treaty;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Gb (new)

Gb. whereas, with 28 Member States at present, each Member State takes over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union only once every 14 years;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
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 28 #

Zita GURMAI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that in the light of the experience gained over these four years, there is a need to formalise 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; underlines that any possible upcoming Treaty change should reflect the consequences of this evolution of the Council's role and of its working relations with the European Parliament;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that in the light of the experience gained over these four years, there is a need to formalise the working relations between the European Council and Parliament; c~~onsiders that~~alls therefore for thise co~~uld take the form of a joint statement or an exchange of letters~~nclusion of an interinstitutional agreement between the European Parliament and the European Council;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
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 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Believes, however, that in the light of the experience gained over these four years, there is a need to ~~formalis~~improve 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 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Is of the opinion that, other than in cases of exceptional urgency, any meeting of the European Council should be preceded by a debate in Parliament, allowing the adoption of a resolution, with the President of the European Council coming to present the subjects on the agenda in person; believes that Parliament ~~should organise its work so as to make known its opinion on these subjects in good time;~~ and the European Council should organise their respective work so as to give to the Parliament the opportunity to make known its opinion on these subjects in good time and to allow the President of the European Council to report back after each meeting of the European Council in front of the plenary sitting;

Amendment 32 #

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Is of the opinion that, other than in cases of exceptional urgency, any meeting of the European Council should not take place during the plenary session weeks of the European Parliament and should be preceded by a debate in Parliament, with the President of the European Council coming to present the subjects on the agenda in person; believes that Parliament should organise its work so as to make known its opinion on these subjects in good time;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
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 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Calls on~~Urges the European Council, where an agreement is concluded between the representatives of Parliament and of the Council in the context of a legislative procedure, not to raise the matter again unless the Presidency-in-Office has specified that the agreement is ad referendum;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
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 invit~~be 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

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 pfro~~cedure does not seem appropriate~~m MEPs;

Amendment 37 #

Marietta GIANNAKOU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
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

8. Believes that the experience of the multiannual financial framework negotiation demonstrated the practical merits of the three-way summit procedure which Article 324 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides for solely with respect to budgetary matters; believes that this pragmatic procedure should be extended to all subjects, so as to involve the President of the European Council if required;deleted

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~Parliament is fully aware of the independence of the European Council and of the important role conferred upon it by the treaties, and has no intention of call~~the European Council has specific functions in the realm of common foreign and security policy, in the appointment of the Commission President, in executive decisions in the enhanced cooperation and passerelles procedures, in determining the economic and employment policy guidelines, in acting as referee in cases of blockage in the Council of Ministers, ing th~~is into question~~e procedures relating to a breach of fundamental rights, in enlargement and in treaty change;

Amendment 40 #

Zita GURMAI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8a (new)

8a. Calls on the European Council to cooperate with the European Parliament to establish a clear institutional follow-up to the European elections, especially when it comes to the process leading to the election of the President of the European Commission, if needed through an inter-institutional agreement, in order to properly reflect the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty and the efforts made towards an increased Europeanization and visibility of the campaign,

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8a (new)

8a. Is convinced that issues concerning relations between the European Parliament and the institutions representing the national governments can only be resolved in a comprehensive manner through Treaty changes; considers therefore that they should be addressed, amongst others, in the framework of a Convention, which we expect to be convened in 2015, in accordance with Article 48(3) TEU;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8a (new)

8a. Calls for a critical assessment to be made of the role of the European Council as part of the next revision of the Treaties pursuant to Article 48(2) TEU and for consideration to be given to entrusting the European Council with the task of coordinating the work of the Council of the European Union, through the possibility of meeting as the General Affairs Council;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8b (new)

8b. Calls for the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union to be abolished as part of the next revision of the Treaties pursuant to Article 48(2) TEU; instead proposes that each Council formation should choose its Presidency from among its members for a period of two and a half years;

Amendment 44 #

Alain LAMASSOURE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8a (new)

8a. Calls on the European Council to state, before the start of the European election campaign, how it intends to respect the choice of European citizens in the appointment of the President of the Commission, in the context of the consultations to be held between Parliament and the European Council with a view to implementing Declaration 11 annexed to the Lisbon Treaty; calls on each member of the European Council to announce in advance how they intend to respect the vote of their fellow citizens when proposing one or more candidates for the post of Commissioner from their country;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas Parliament is fully aware of the independence of the European Council and of the ~~important~~ role conferred upon it by the treaties~~, and has no intention of calling this into question~~;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas, however, under the pressure of the crisis, the European Council has considerably ~~enhanc~~aggrandised 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)

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 9 #