2023/2084(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
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 10(3) on the right of EU citizens to participate in the democratic life of the Union, Article 10(4) on the role of European political parties, Article 11 on participatory democracy, Article 12 on the role of national parliaments, Article 48(3) on the ordinary revision procedure and Article 48(7) (passerelle clause) thereof,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the parliamentary accountability and scrutiny of national governments within the framework of European affairs, which depends on individual national practices, is the cornerstone of the role of national parliaments in the current European Treaty framework;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas this accountability and scrutiny can be facilitated by increased transparency in the Council, especially with regard to the voting record of Member States, as well as their positions relating to the legislative procedures and proposals and amendments to legislative texts which form part of the normal legislative process; whereas also access to documents of the other European institutions is key for a better involvement of national parliaments in EU affairs;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas th~~is accountability can be facilitated by increase~~e National parliaments and the European Parliament should play a common strategic mission in order to increase accountability and transparency in the Council, especially with regard to the voting record of Member States;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas this accountability can be facilitated by increased transparency in the Council, especially with regard to the voting record and positions of Member States throughout the legislative process;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the pluralism of national parliaments is remarkably beneficial to the Union and the underrepresentation of parliamentary minorities in European affairs should be counterbalanced while fully respecting the majorities in each national parliament and in accordance with their proportions; whereas pluralism in National parliaments’ representation could prove to be particularly useful in the view of a future Convention to amend the EU Treaties in the goal to reach a stronger consensus;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the pluralism of national parliaments ~~is remarkably benef~~enriches the politicial ~~to the Union and the underrepresent~~debate at EU level and the views of nation ofal parliamentary minorities ~~in European affairs should be counterbalanced while fully respecting the majorities in each national parliament and in accordance with their proportions~~should be taken into account at EU level ;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the pluralism of national and regional parliaments is remarkably beneficial to the Union and the underrepresentation of parliamentary minorities in European affairs should be counterbalanced while fully respecting the majorities in each national parliament and in accordance with their proportions;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas Protocol No 2 (Article 6) acknowledges that national parliaments may consult regional parliaments with legislative powers, yet the role of regional parliaments is largely dependent on the national arrangements and very often remains advisory; whereas many of the members of the Committee of the Regions hold a regional electoral mandate;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas Protocol No 2 (Article 6) acknowledges that national parliaments may consult regional parliaments with legislative powers, yebut the ~~role of regional parliaments is dependent on the national arrangements and very often remains advisory~~y are not properly taken into account;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

– having regard to the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (recast);

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas national parliaments and their role within the EU institutional framework were addressed by a number of proposals contained in the report on the final outcome of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE); whereas the experience of the Conference on the Future of Europe has shown the potential of a new fruitful alliance between National parliaments and the European Parliament;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas national parliaments play a role in any revision of the European Treaties; whereas the European Parliament in its resolution of 9 June 2022 called for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties;deleted

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas national parliaments play a role in any revision of the European Treaties, in particular in the goal to strengthen the parliamentary dimension and the democratic life of the EU; whereas the European Parliament in its resolution of 9 June 2022 called for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas a European public sphere could be fostered by a series of forums on the European agenda and such forums could be endorsed through a common ‘European Week’, in which members of national parliamentary chambers would simultaneously discuss European affairs with Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and ministers from the sitting Council presidency; whereas the development a true European public sphere requires in parallel also an adequate promotion of forms of citizens’ participation and consultation, that can be complementary to a stronger parliamentary dimension of the EU;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas a European public sphere could be fostered by a series of forums on the European agenda and such forums could be endorsed through a common ‘European Week’, in which members of national parliamentary chambers would simultaneously discuss European affairs with Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and ministers from the sitting Council presidency; whereas this initiative could build on the existing parliamentary week held by the European Semester Conference and the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the involvement of national parliaments in EU affairs should also be strengthened on a thematic, committee based or ad hoc approach; whereas the format of Interparliamentary Committee Meetings (ICM) should be further fine-tuned;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the implementation of the right of national parliaments to scrutinise compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, on the basis of the EWS, has ~~gradually improved relations between the EU institutions and national parliaments~~strengthened the involvement of national parliaments in EU decision-making;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the eight-week period laid down in Article 4 of Protocol No 1 has proven to be inadequate for the timely monitoring of compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and must be considered in the framework of a future Treaty revision; whereas innovative and stronger tools of cooperation between National parliaments and the European Parliament can be considered, starting with a more intense dialogue among political families and groups;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the reasoned opinions submitted by the national parliaments strengthen the European legislative process; whereas the eight-week period laid down in Article 4 of Protocol No 1 has proven to be inadequate for the timely monitoring of compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and must be considered in the framework of a future Treaty revision;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)

– having regard to the report of XX November 2023 on proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas the CoFoE recommended that national parliaments and regional parliaments with legislative powers ‘be granted the possibility to suggest a legislative initiative to the European level’, an instrument which would afford them the opportunity to suggest constructive proposals for the Commission’s consideration and with due regard for the Commission’s right of initiative, having first secured Parliament’s support; whereas the goal to achieve a full right of initiative for the European Parliament was highlighted in numerous occasions during the current legislature;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the implementation of a ‘red card’ procedure is cannot ~~conceivable at this stage of~~be considered as suitable and constructive tool in the goal to increase the participation on National parliaments in the European integration process;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q a (new)

Qa. whereas the CoR could play a prominent role in bringing regional parliaments closer to the overall integration process;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas national parliaments have relevant competencies in the areas of freedom, security and justice pursuant to Articles 70, 85 and 88 TFEU and should ~~therefore play an~~play a much more important role in the future ofregarding the Union’s security and defence policy by also building on the Interparliamentary Conference (IPC) on CFSP/CSDP as established by Article 10 of Protocol No 1;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas national parliaments have relevant competencies in the areas of freedom, security and justice pursuant to Articles 70, 85 and 88 TFEU and should therefore play an important role in the future of the Union’s security and defence policy; whereas a stronger role of National parliament is also particular needed in the process of the so-called European Semester;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)

Ra. whereas European political parties play a critical role in bridging the gap between the EU and national parliaments; whereas these parties should be further empowered by enabling them to support their member parties in the campaign for the European elections and referendum campaigns touching on EU matters;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that the implementation of the rights and obligations of national parliaments deriving from the Treaty of Lisbon has enhanced their role within the European constitutional framework, thus providing for more pluralism, democratic legitimacy and the better functioning of the Union; praises the good experience of cooperation between National parliaments and European Parliament during the Conference on the Future of Europe; considers that National parliaments and European Parliament have the potential to be natural allies in the goal of shaping a stronger parliamentary dimension of the EU and fostering more intense forms of democratic participation;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Takes the view that the accountability of national governments to national parliaments as acknowledged by Article 10(2) TEU is the keystone of the role of national parliamentary chambers in the European Union; considers that national parliaments are a partner in restoring and maintaining the EU institutional balance, which is increasingly eroded by intergovernmental decision-making; encourages national parliaments to fully exercise their European functions in order to directly influence and scrutinise the content of European policies, in particular via the monitoring of their national governments acting as members of the European Council and the Council; calls on members of national parliaments to foster an “EU- reflex” in their decision-making and to recognise the direct impact of EU policies on their constituents;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10

– having regard to its resolutions of 15 January 2020 on the European Parliament’s position on the Conference on the Future of Europe10 and of 4 May 2022 on the follow-up to the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe11 , _________________ 10 OJ C 270, 7.7.2021, p. 71. 11 OJ C 465, 6.12.2022, p. 109.deleted

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Takes the view that the accountability of national governments to national parliaments as acknowledged by Article 10(2) TEU is the keystone of the role of national parliamentary chambers in the European Union; encourages national and regional parliaments to fully exercise their European functions in order to directly influence and scrutinise the content of European policies, in particular via the monitoring of their national governments acting as members of the European Council and the Council;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Member States to ensure that national parliaments are granted enough time, the ~~capacity~~ressources and the necessary access to information in order to fulfil their constitutional role of scrutinising and thus legitimating the activity of national governments when these governments act at European level; recalls that the access to Council information for national parliaments is key and cannot be compromised on; recognizes that Council must adopt the necessary document security safeguards but underlines that national parliaments should at all times be able to carry out democratic scrutiny over their respective governments;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Member States to ensure that national parliaments and regional parliaments with legislative powers are granted enough time, the capacity and the necessary access to information in order to fulfil their constitutional role of scrutinising and thus legitimating the activity of national governments when these governments act at European level;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that transparency of the working methods and decision-making processes of the EU institutions represents a precondition for enabling national parliaments to effectively fulfil their institutional role deriving from the Treaties; calls, therefore, for the voting records of Member States in the Council to be made public; calls, furthermore, for national parliaments to make full use of their respective competences, inter alia by adapting their internal organisation, timetables and rules of procedures to enable them to do so; encourages National parliaments and European Parliament to introduce more innovative and stronger tools of cooperation at the political and administrative level, starting by more intense forms of exchange and dialogue among European political families and groups;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that transparency of the working methods and decision-making processes of the EU institutions represents a precondition for enabling national parliaments to effectively fulfil their institutional role deriving from the Treaties; calls, therefore, for the voting records of Member States in the Council as well as their positions relating to the proposals and amendments to legislative texts which form part of the normal legislative process to be made public; calls, furthermore, for national parliaments to make full use of their respective competences, inter alia by adapting their internal organisation, timetables and rules of procedures to enable them to do so;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that transparency of the working methods and decision-making processes of the EU institutions represents a precondition for enabling national parliaments to effectively fulfil their institutional role deriving from the Treaties; calls, therefore, for the voting records of Member States in the Council, as well as their proposals and amendments to legislative texts to be made public; calls, furthermore, for national parliaments to make full use of their respective competences, inter alia by adapting their internal organisation, timetables and rules of procedures to enable them to do so;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Recalls, while encouraging strengthened political dialogue with national parliaments, that decisions must be taken in accordance with constitutional competences, the EU Treaties and the EU acquis and by taking into account the clear delineation between the respective decision-making competences of the national and European bodies;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Recalls, while e~~Encourag~~ing~~es strengthened political dialogue ~~with national parliaments, that decisions must be taken in accordance with constitutional competences and~~between the European institutions, and national parliaments and regional parliaments with legislative powers; recalls that decisions must bye tak~~ing~~en into acco~~unt the clear delineation between~~rdance with the respective decision-making competences of the local, regional, national and European bodies;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. States that the alignment of the European Semester with the agendas of national parliaments could further contribute to the coordination of economic policies, while underlining that such alignment should not disregard the powers of self-governance and the specific rules of procedure of each parliamentary chamber;deleted

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Statresses that the alignment of the European Semester with the agendas of national parliaments could further contribute to the coordination of economic policies, while underlining that such alignment should not disregard the powers of self-governance and the specific rules of procedure of each parliamentary chamber; calls for the consideration of a specific Protocol to define the cooperation between National parliaments and European Parliament in the European Semester process;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11

~~– having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2022 on the call for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties12 , _________________ 12 OJ C 493, 27.12.2022, p. 109.~~deleted

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls for the implementation of a national period for budgetary and economic policy dialogue, during which national parliaments would be able to deliberate upon and contribute to the European Semester by providing their governments with a mandate in their relations with the Commission and the Council;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the relevance of the principle of proportional representation of members from different political parties in this regard; recommends, therefore, that national parliamentary delegations acting before the European institutions should reflect political diversity, including national or linguistic minorities, where relevant;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Believes that the interaction with national parliaments can be indirectly strengthened by empowering European political parties; reiterates its long standing call to enable these parties to actively engage in the Member States’ political spheres and support their member parties when EU issues are at stake; calls for the switf conclusion of the recast Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 to enable European political parties to support their member parties in the campaign for the European elections and referendum campaigns touching on EU matters;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Believes that the establishment of an annual European Week would allow Members of the European Parliament, Commissioners and ministers of sitting Council presidencies to stand before all national and, where appropriate, regional parliamentary assemblies in order to discuss and explain the European agenda alongside national and regional parliamentarians; ~~believes, further, that~~suggests to structure the annual European Week on topical debates mutually agreed between the National parliaments and the European Parliament based on subjects of high relevance for the EU agenda; Proposes to invite representatives of European civil society and a selection of citizens based on the COFOE in order to make the European Week more visible; stresses the importance of meetings between national and European political groups in the framework of EU interparliamentary cooperation ~~could bring added value in the~~and believes in the added value of such encounters to form of authentic European political ~~debate;~~sphere; recalls in particular the good model of cooperation established in the framework of the caucuses of political families taking place during the Conference on the Future of Europe,

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Considers a stronger involvement of National parliaments from candidate countries to be an essential tool in order to make the EU enlargement strategy successful; Suggests the involvement of representatives of National parliaments from candidate countries in the proposed European Week

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. is of the opinion that any close cooperation with the CoR will help to develop a European public sphere and as a consequence strengthen democracy;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that procedures such as the ‘yellow’ or ‘orange’ cards have not been used extensively; believes, however, that the procedural shortcomings of the EWS should not be regarded as conclusive proof of failure to respect subsidiarity; suggests that all EU institutions and Member States agree on a common culture regarding the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality based on the criteria contained in the Protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality originally attached to the Amsterdam Treaty, the relevant case law of the European Court of Justice and the Commission’s own practice; considers that the development of this common culture should allow for a broader understanding encompassing all the elements of subsidiarity and should be fostered through new tools of cooperation such as pilot projects and administrative and political exchanges between National parliaments and the European Parliament;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that procedures such as the ‘yellow’ or ‘orange’ cards have not been used extensively; believes, however, that the procedural shortcomings of the EWS should not be regarded as conclusive proof of failure to respect subsidiarity; suggests that all EU institutions and Member States agree on a common culture regarding the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality based on the criteria contained in the Protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality originally attached to the Amsterdam Treaty, the relevant case law of the European Court of Justice and the Commission’s own practice; proposes to strengthen the role of the CoR as a watchdog of the principle of subsidiarity; considers that the development of this common culture should allow for a broader understanding encompassing all the elements of subsidiarity;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas national parliaments and regional parliaments with legislative powers’ active participation in European affairs and enhanced scrutiny of national governments by national parliaments and regional parliaments with legislative powers are instrumental in ensuring the democratic accountability and legitimacy of the EU institutional system;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that procedures such as the ‘yellow’ or ‘orange’ cards have not been used extensively; ~~believes, however, that the procedural shortcomings of the EWS should not be regarded as conclusive proof of failure to respect subsidiarity;~~ suggests that all EU institutions and Member States agree on a common culture regarding the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality based on the criteria contained in the Protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality originally attached to the Amsterdam Treaty, the relevant case law of the European Court of Justice and the Commission’s own practice; considers that the development of this common culture should allow for a broader understanding encompassing all the elements of subsidiarity; calls for a wider reflection on the possibility to upgrade the EWS to a tool enabling national parliaments to shape EU policies also from a political or substantive point of view;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that procedures such as the ‘yellow’ or ‘orange’ cards have not been used extensively; believes, however, that the procedural shortcomings of the EWS should not be regarded as conclusive proof of failure to respect subsidiarity; suggests that all EU institutions and Member States agree on a common ~~culture regar~~understanding of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality based on the criteria contained in the Protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality originally attached to the Amsterdam Treaty, the relevant case law of the European Court of Justice and the Commission’s own practice; considers that the development of this common ~~culture should allow for a broader understanding encompassing~~understanding should include all the elements of subsidiarity;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Recommends establishing in the Court of Justice an independent subsidiarity chamber for monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of conferral in order to safeguard the Member States from the Union acting ultra vires and illegitimately acquiring new competences; the Chamber shall consist of presidents of national constitutional courts of Member States; the task of continual monitoring should be supplemented with publishing an annual report dedicated to the review of the Union’s policies in light of the division of competences and assessment of Union’s application of the principle of subsidiarity;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Proposes introducing a politically binding red card mechanism; this would oblige the Commission to consider any reasoned opinion on the non-compliance with the principle of subsidiarity politically binding if it has reached the threshold of fifty percent of national parliaments and, consequently, the Commission should immediately and completely remove the challenged draft act;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Acknowledges the request by national parliaments to extend the eight- week period during which they can issue reasoned opinions under Article 3 of Protocol No 1; underlines, however, that the current Treaty framework does not provide for such an extension; notes that, as a mitigation measure, from 2019, the Commission began excluding the end-of- year festive period when setting the eight- week period for national parliaments to send reasoned opinions; considers, therefore, that ~~the eight-week period must be reconsidered in the framework of a future Treaty revision~~Treaties must be revised to extend the timeframe to issue reasoned opinions to twelve weeks and calls for a reflection on reducing the threshold for a reasoned opinion to 1/4;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Acknowledges the request by national parliaments to extend the eight- week period during which they can issue reasoned opinions under Article 3 of Protocol No 1; underlines, however, that the current Treaty framework does not provide for such an extension; notes that, as a mitigation measure, from 2019, the Commission began excluding the end-of- year festive period when setting the eight- week period for national parliaments to send reasoned opinions; considers, therefore, that the ~~eight-~~introduction of a twelve- week period ~~must~~should be reconsidered in the framework of a future Treaty revision;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Acknowledges the request by national parliaments to extend the eight- week period during which they can issue reasoned opinions under Article 3 of Protocol No 1; underlines, however, that the current Treaty framework does not provide for such an extension; notes that, as a mitigation measure, from 2019, the Commission began excluding the end-of- year festive period when setting the eight- week period for national parliaments to send reasoned opinions; considers, therefore, that the eight-week period must be ~~reconsider~~extended in the framework of ~~a future~~the next Treaty revision;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Call for introduction of a “late card” machanism; this would allow for at least fifteen percent of national Parliaments to send, between twelve and sixteen weeks from the date of transmission of a draft European legislative act, to the Presidents of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission a reasoned opinion stating why it considers that the draft in question does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Calls for national parliaments to systematically include the reasoned opinions of regional parliaments with legislative powers into their reasoned final opinions that are sent to the Presidents of the Parliament, the Council and the Commission, especially when regional exclusive competences may be affected;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Reiterates its suggestion of setting up a system~~, sometimes called a ‘green card’ procedure,~~ whereby at least one third of national parliaments can submit constructive proposals to the Commission with the aim of positively influencing the European debate and the Commission’s power of initiative, having first secured Parliament’s support; suggests, in this regard, that the Commission could enjoy the discretion either to take on board such proposals or to issue a formal response underlining its reasons for not doing so; points out that such a procedure cannot consist of a right of initiative or the right to withdraw or amend legislation as this would subvert ‘the Union method’ and the distribution of competences between national and European level, thus violating the Treaties;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. Whereas National parliaments "contribute actively to the good functioning of the Union” (Art. 12 of the treaty on EU) and together with the European Parliament play an essential role in strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the EU project;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Reiterates its suggestion of~~Suggests setting up a system, sometimes called a ‘green card’ procedure, whereby a~~t least one third of~~ny national parliaments can ~~submit constructive proposals to~~request the Commission ~~with~~or the ~~aim of positively influencing the European deba~~Parliament, once the latter has been granted a~~nd the Commission’s power of initiative, having first secured Parliament’s support~~ general direct right of initiative, to submit proposals with the aim of positively influencing the European debate; suggests, in this regard, that the Commission or the Parliament could enjoy the discretion either to take on board such proposals or to issue a formal response underlining its reasons for not doing so; points out that such a procedure cannot consist of a right of initiative or the right to withdraw or amend legislation as this would subvert ‘the Union method’ and the distribution of competences between national and European level, thus violating the Treaties;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Reiterates its suggestion of setting up a system, sometimes called a ‘green card’ procedure, whereby a~~t least one third~~ny of national parliaments can submit constructive proposals to the Commission with the aim of positively influencing the European debate and the Commission’s power of initiative, having first secured Parliament’s support; suggests, in this regard, that the Commission could enjoy the discretion either to take on board such proposals or to issue a formal response underlining its reasons for not doing so; points out that such a procedure cannot consist of a right of initiative or the right to withdraw or amend legislation as this would subvert ‘the Union method’ and the distribution of competences between national and European level, thus violating the Treaties;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that the ‘green card’ procedure should be directed at Parliament once the latter is granted a general direct right of legislative initiative, as the direct representative of EU citizens;deleted

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that ~~the ‘~~a "green card’" procedure should be directed at the European Parliament once the latter is granted a general direct right of legislative initiative, as the direct representative of EU citizens;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Is concerned by the General Secretariat of the Council’s intention to restrict access by national parliaments to the Council’s legislative database; calls on the Council to ensure that access by all national parliaments to the Council’s legislative database is granted;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Takes note of the current cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments in the COSAC, in the Interparliamentary Conference on Common Foreign and Security Policy and within the framework of Article 13 TSCG; takes note, further, of more recent forms of interparliamentary cooperation such as the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol and the Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the Evaluation of Eurojust; suggests the introduction of specific forms of stronger cooperation - to be regulated under ad hoc protocols - during the European Semester process as well as in the monitoring of the RFF Recovery and Resilience Facility; stresses that such cooperation should be developed on the basis of the principles of consensus, information-sharing and consultation in order for national parliaments to exercise scrutiny over their respective governments and administrations;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Reiterates that the current framework of relations between the Union and national parliaments could be simplified and harmonised in order to make it more efficient and effective; calls, in this context, for a review of the engagement between the Union and its national parliaments across existing platforms and forums, with the aim of strengthening these relations and adapting them to current needs; suggests opening a discussion on the introduction of a political common declaration or framework agreement between the National parliaments and the European Parliament, namely concerning the organisation of the proposed European Week, in order to provide a more coherent framework of cooperation at political, institutional and administrative level;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Reiterates that the current framework of relations between the Union and national parliaments could be simplified and harmonised in order to make it more efficient and effective; calls, in this context, for a review of the engagement between the Union and its national parliaments across existing platforms and forums, with the aim of strengthening these relations and adapting them to current needs; encourages, furthermore, the European institutions and the regional parliaments with legislative powers to have a more active engagement and a direct interaction between each other;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. encourages in this regard a closer cooperation with the CoR to enhance the legitimacy of EU decision-making and the quality of policy outcomes by protecting more effectively the interests of the civil society and regional parliaments; proposes furthermore to include the CoR bindingly in the EU decision-making, meaning that the CoR will no longer only formulate opinions of a recommendatory nature, but should play a decisive role in Parliament's legislative initiatives;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Points out that strengthening political and technical dialogue between parliamentary committees, both at national and at European level, would be a highly productive step towards full interparliamentary cooperation; ~~is considering the possibility of~~suggests to this end to raise more awareness about possible cooperation tools at national level; proposes therefore to allocat~~ing~~e additional resources to achieve this aim, and of the use of videoconferences, where possible;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the active involvement of national parliaments in the EU decision- process helps to foster citizens’ trust and therefore contributes to the sustainability and resilience of the European project;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Points out that strengthening political and technical dialogue between parliamentary committees and political groups, both at national and at European level, would be a highly productive step towards full interparliamentary cooperation; is considering the possibility of allocating additional resources to achieve this aim, ~~and of~~such as the use of videoconferences, ~~where possible~~staff exchanges or pilot projects;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Points out that strengthening political and technical dialogue between parliamentary committees, both at national and at European level, would be a highly productive step towards full interparliamentary cooperation; ~~is considering the possibility of~~commits to allocat~~ing~~e additional resources to achieve this aim, and of the use of videoconferences, where possible;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Acknowledges the relevance of the Interparliamentary Committee Meetings (ICM) established in Articles 9 and 10 of Protocol No 1 and the sectorial success of a ‘committee method’ in interparliamentary cooperation; believes that better interinstitutional cooperation could be attained if the ICM were accorded more relevance by the Members of the European Parliament and the national parliaments and if they were prepared for closer cooperation; considers that the required changes to the rules of procedure should be put in place in order to regulate stronger forms of cooperation between National parliaments and the European Parliament;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recommends that national parliaments be fully involved in the continuing development of the common security and defence policy; believes that such involvement should be promoted in close cooperation with the European Parliament and with full respect for the provisions of national constitutions regarding security and defence policies; invites national parliaments to reflect in more detail on defence capability prioritisation at EU level, including through joint interparliamentary meetings between representatives from national parliaments and Members of the European Parliament and via political dialogue;deleted

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recommends that national parliaments be fully involved in the continuing development of the common security and defence policy; believes that such involvement should be promoted in close cooperation with the European Parliament, also in line with Article 10 of Protocol No 1 and with full respect for the provisions of national constitutions regarding security and defence policies; invites national parliaments to reflect in more detail on defence capability prioritisation at EU level, including through joint interparliamentary meetings between representatives from national parliaments and Members of the European Parliament also within the context of the IPC on CFSP/CSDP which meets twice a year in the parliament of the rotating Council presidency and via political dialogue;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recommends that national parliaments be fully involved in the continuing development of the common security and defence policy; ~~beli~~insists howevesr that such involvement ~~should be promot~~must be organized in close cooperation with the European Parliament and with full respect for the provisions of national constitutions regarding security and defence policies; invites national parliaments to reflect in more detail on defence capability prioritisation at EU level, including through joint interparliamentary meetings between representatives from national parliaments and Members of the European Parliament and via political dialogue; calls on the national parliaments to insist on mandate giving rules to respective national executives before decision- making on all security and defence matters;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Recalls the importance to enhance cooperation and dialogue between the National parliaments and the European Parliament on the right of inquiry;

Amendment 9 #