An illustration of the importance of the procedure can be seen in safety legislation relating to dangerous substances known as biocides. The Commission was planning to decide on which chemicals would be listed, by using a commitology procedure which excluded parliamentary scrutiny. Parliament's only means of influencing the legislation has been to insist on a committee procedure that gives more leeway to the Commission, which in turn is subject to more parliamentary scrutiny, than is the case with Council. A compromise was agreed in 1994 under which Parliament receives details of all implementing measures, and the Commission obliged to report to it. MEPs want to ensure that politically important issues are not hidden in the detail.
Disputes still rumble on and are a regular feature of conciliation meetings.
The Commission is due to come up with new working arrangements in June. In voting the annual budget, MEPs often use their powers to increase funding for projects beyond what the member states want to accept. But many policies are now financed on a multi-annual basis, so negotiations on the amount available take place when the programme itself is being discussed. Not surprisingly, on several occasions MEPs have once again found themselves at odds with Council over the amounts in question, resulting in the convening of the conciliation committee. What is surprising, however, is the intensity of disputes over relatively small amounts.