WRITTEN QUESTION P-0118/02

by Eluned Morgan (PSE) to the Commission

(22 January 2002)

Subject: Economic and Social Committee (ESC)

Can the Commission assess exactly what impact the ESC has had on development of European policy and legislation? What mechanisms are used to test the effectiveness of the ESC? What percentage of issues proposed by the ESC are adopted prior to presentation to Council and the Parliament? What sort of measures would the Commission support to improve the situation?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 2002)

It is difficult to trace the history of the impact that the Economic and Social Committee (ESC) has had upon Community legislation. Generally speaking, the most recent analyses show that many of its suggestions are favourably received by the Commission or integrated into legislative procedures. Two thirds of ESC opinions are either directly or indirectly taken into account in the Commission's proposals. This figure, whilst fairly significant, must instead be seen as more of an indication, as it includes all decisions, even when the ESC is in agreement with the Commission on the proposal submitted. Parliament also often takes account of ESC opinions when preparing its decisions. Furthermore, preparatory opinions from the ESC constitute fundamental tools for the Commission's work on very important matters, such as European Governance.

Every four months the Commission produces a document summarising the ways in which it intends to respond to the opinions delivered by the ESC. These documents can be used to demonstrate the efficiency of the ESC. The results we glean from them are somewhat uneven, but nevertheless many ESC opinions do create added value for institutional debate. The recent increase in consultation requests generated by the different Directorates-General of the Commission, even where consultation is optional, gives us another method by which to assess the efficiency of the ESC.

The Commission has no accurate statistics on the cases in which the ESC delivers its opinion before the legislative procedure begins. This is because the quarterly analyses carried out on all responses are based on content rather than on which stage the proceedings have reached. During the second half of 2000 and the first half of 2001, the ESC delivered 72 opinions on Commission consultative documents and reports, notably in its capacity as a watchdog for the internal market. Over the same period, the ESC delivered 109 opinions on Commission proposals for legislation.

In September 2001 the Commission signed a cooperation protocol with the ESC.

Two key measures concerning the efficiency of the ESC were considered and are currently being implemented:

- improving the editorial quality of opinions with the aim of ensuring clearer comments, especially where legislation is concerned;

- offering the Institutions the possibility of requesting exploratory opinions and reports from the ESC in order to advise them even before the Commission has adopted its proposals or guidelines. The Commission has already requested seven exploratory opinions, five of which will be ready at the beginning of the summer. Only then will it be possible to evaluate this particular aspect of the ESC's activities.

Moreover, in its White Paper on Governance, the Commission stressed the ESC's importance as an intermediary and generator of contact with civil society, especially concerning legislative consultation and reflections on the future of the Commission and the Institutions in general. Two upcoming events will reveal whether Governments and the Institutions are ready to move in this direction: the renewal of the ESC in October 2002, and the debates held under the auspices of the Convention on the Future of Europe, in which three ESC observers will participate.