A4-0001/95

Resolution on procedures to follow when Parliament is consulted in connection with appointment of Members of the Court of Auditors

The European Parliament,

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

- having regard to its resolution of 17 November 1992 on the procedure for consulting the European Parliament on the appointment of Members of the Court of Auditors ((OJ C 337, 21.12.1992, p. 51.)),

- having regard to the report of its Committee on Budgetary Control (A4-0001/95),

A. whereas cooperation between the Court of Auditors and Parliament, which is central to the European Union's budgetary control system, is adversely affected when some Members of the Court fail to secure Parliament's approval,

B. whereas, until such time as an assent procedure has been established under an amendment to be made to the Treaty in 1996, certain rules should be drawn up in order to reduce the risk that Parliament's opinions and Council decisions might be at variance,

1. Instructs its Committee on Budgetary Control to approach the proper authorities of the Member States which will be called upon to nominate candidates for membership of the Court of Auditors and to draw the attention of those authorities to the criteria and procedures laid down by Parliament;

2. Calls on the Council to undertake to:

- frame its proposals in such a way as to comply fully with the criteria set out in Parliament's abovementioned resolution of 17 November 1992, on the understanding that Parliament, for its part, will ensure that it scrupulously respects those criteria;

- submit nominations at least ten weeks before the Members concerned are due to be appointed, on the understanding that any delay on the Council's part will correspondingly hold up delivery of Parliament's opinion ((In the case of candidates put forward by the new Member States, who will have to be nominated after 1 January 1995, Parliament hopes that the Council will deal speedily with the nominations and undertakes to consider and adopt its opinions within as brief a time-span as possible.));

- supply the relevant career details when notifying the names of candidates, and all information and opinions communicated to it while the Member States' internal decision-making procedures are in progress;

- pass on any information concerning nominations it has received from Member States, on the understanding that if it were to withhold information, Parliament would be obliged to conduct its own inquiries, leading likewise to inevitable delays in the procedure;

3. Makes the following additional stipulations as regards procedures before the Committee on Budgetary Control and in plenary sitting, enlarging on its resolution of 17 November 1992:

(a) each opinion shall be submitted in the form of a report to be adopted by a simple majority; the report shall not contain recitals and shall merely state a view on the appointment;

(b) a summary of reasons in support of the opinion shall appear in an explanatory statement which shall not be put to the vote;

(c) the report shall consist of an explanatory statement, which shall not be put to the vote, citations summarizing the circumstances of the referral to Parliament, which shall likewise not be put to the vote, and an operative part which may constitute only:

- a favourable opinion or

- an unfavourable opinion;

reports should not contain any recitals to be put to the vote;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, and, for information, to the Court of Auditors and the Commission.