A4-0189/95

Resolution on the Commission's response to Parliament's request for information on the 1994 activities of executive committees (following the decision in Parliament's budgetary resolutions of 27 October 1994 and 15 December 1994 to place funding in the reserve)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to its decision of 15 December 1994 on the 1995 Budget and its resolutions relating thereto of 27 October and 15 December 1994 ((OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 125 and OJ C 18, 23.1.1995, p. 145.)),

- having regard to the modus vivendi negotiated between the Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Commission setting up a mechanism for transferring information to the Parliament on the activities of executive committees set up by legislation following the co-decision procedure ((OJ C 43, 20.2.1995, p. 40.)),

- having regard to its resolutions of 23 October 1986 closing the procedure for consultation of the European Parliament on the proposal for a Regulation laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission ((OJ C 297, 24.11.1986, p. 94.)), of 16 December 1993 on questions of commitology relating to the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union ((OJ C 20, 24.1.1994, p. 177.)) and of 18 January 1995 on a decision of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the detailed provisions governing the exercise of the European's right of inquiry and a modus vivendi between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission concerning the implementing measures for acts adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the EC Treaty ((OJ C 43, 20.2.1995, p. 37.)),

- having regard to the study undertaken by STOA on commitology in the science and technology sector,

- having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular Articles 145, 153, 155, 203 and 205 thereof,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets and the opinions of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights, the Committee on Social Affairs and Employment, the Committee on Regional Policy, the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media, the Committee on Development and Cooperation, the Committee on Institutional Affairs and the Committee on Fisheries (A4-0189/95),

A. whereas the budgetary and/or legislative competences of the European Parliament may be infringed when the Council and the Commission take budgetary and/or legislative decisions through commitology procedure;

B. whereas nevertheless the Commission must be encouraged to execute correctly the budget decisions of the budgetary authority and the legislative decisions of the legislative authority, without undue interference;

C. whereas to avoid such abuses, fuller transparency on budgetary matters and on matters with legislative effect is required in the commitology procedures;

1. Welcomes the rapid reply of the Commission to Parliament's request for information on the activities of the committees financed through lines A- 2510 and A-2511 of the Union's budget;

2. Notes the uneven quality of the records submitted on decisions and opinions made by each committee, and that in consequence many records would not be of any informational use to non-members of the committees;

3. Notes that the internal information within the Commission on the activities of these committees seems partial and not centralised, and that therefore it cannot supervise the activities of these committees in a consistent manner;

4. Is not convinced that all Commission services treated the 'Plumb-Delors agreement¨ in the same manner;

5. Considers that the inconsistency and lack of oversight puts in question the transparency required by the Commission on the application of its executive functions;

6. Requests that the Commission improve its internal procedures in this respect, to set out guidelines for all executive committees on Union activities, including those not financed through lines A-2510 and A-2511, so that not only are the dates of the meetings and terms of the advice tendered clear, including the legislative and decisional references, but also the voting breakdown is provided in the event of a vote, and the decision taken by the Commission is transmitted, where it differs from the advice tendered;

7. Confirms that the Commission should continue to submit to the Parliament in the Annual Report on Activities and in the budgetary procedure relevant details of the activities of these committees;

8. Recommends that a timetable is set at the end of which all executive committees set up under Union legislation would meet as a rule in public, unless a specific duly-motivated decision is taken to the contrary and published in good time, and that the dates and times and places of these meetings be published in time to allow those who wish to attend to do so;

9. Recommends also that the members of these committees register their interests in a public record, that is regularly updated;

10. Supports the systematic addition, in the commitology paragraph of legislative proposals establishing committees, of the following text:

'The committee shall meet as a rule in public, unless a specific duly motivated decision is taken to the contrary and published in good time. It shall publish agendas two weeks in advance of its meetings. It shall publish minutes of its meetings. It shall establish a public register of declarations of interest by its members.¨

11. Requests that similar details are provided on the committees that are not funded under lines A-2510 and 2511, particularly those in the research field;

12. In the meantime, requests that the principles agreed in the modus vivendi be generalised to all legislative procedures and that the information be forwarded in good time without exception. To this effect proposes to place in reserve in the 1996 budget the funding foreseen for the committee activities and requests the Commission to provide information on the activities of the committees before the transfer request is considered;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.