Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 - Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts
Date: 1994-12-20
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Commission, European Parliament
Subjects: EU law, codification of EU law, legislative procedure













EUR-Lex - 31995Y1108(02) - EN






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31995Y1108(02)

Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 - Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts  


Official Journal C 293 , 08/11/1995 P. 0002 - 0002 





INTERINSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENTof 20  December 1994Accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts(95/C   293/02)1. For the purpose of this working method, official codification means the  procedure for repealing the acts to be codified and replacing them with a single act containing no  substantive change to those acts. 2. Priority sectors for codification will be agreed by the three institutions involved, on a  proposal from the Commission. The Commission will include in its work programme the proposals for  codification it intends to present. 3. The Commission undertakes not to introduce in its codification proposals any substantive changes  to the acts to be codified. 4. The Consultative Working Party, consisting of the respective Legal Services of the European  Parliament, the Council and the Commission, will examine such proposals upon adoption by the  Commission. It will confirm at the earliest opportunity that they are indeed confined to  straightforward codification without substantive changes. 5. The Community's normal legislative process will be complied with in full. 6. The purpose of the Commission proposal, namely the straightforward codification of existing  texts, constitutes a legal limit, prohibiting any substantive change by the European Parliament or  Council. 7. The Commission proposal will be studied in all its aspects under an accelerated procedure within  the European Parliament (one committee to study the proposal and simplified procedure for its  approval) and Council (examination by one working party and 'I/A items` procedure for  Coreper-Council). 8. Should it prove necessary during the legislative process to go beyond straightforward  codification and make substantive changes, it will be the Commission's responsibility to submit any  proposal(s), where appropriate. Done at Brussels on the twentieth day of December in the year one thousand nine hundred and  ninety-four. For the Council of the European UnionKlaus KINKELFor the European ParliamentNicole FONTAINEFor  the European CommissionJacques  DELORSJOINT DECLARATIONSDeclaration on  paragraph 4 of the accelerated working method for official codification of legislative textsThe  European Parliament, the Council and the Commission agree that the Consultative Working Party will  endeavour to give its opinion in time for it to be made available to the institutions before they  begin their respective examinations of the proposal concerned. Declaration on paragraph 7 of the accelerated working method for official  codification of legislative textsThe European Parliament, the Council and the Commission state  that the study of Commission proposals for official codification in all their aspects within the  European Parliament and the Council will be conducted in such a way as to avoid calling into  question the dual objectives of the method of codification, namely that it should be dealt with by  a single body within the institutions and by an almost automatic procedure. In particular, the three institutions agree that study of Commission proposals in all their aspects  will not involve re-opening discussion on the substantive solutions accepted when the acts being  codified were adopted. Declaration on paragraph 8 of the accelerated working method for official  codification of legislative textsThe European Parliament, the Council and the Commission note  that if it should appear necessary to go beyond straightforward codification and make substantive  changes, the Commission will be able to choose, case by case, whether to recast its proposal or  whether to submit a separate proposal for amendment, leaving its codification proposal on the  table, and then, once the substantive change has been adopted, incorporate it into the proposal for  codification. European Parliament statement on paragraph 1 of the accelerated working method  for official codification of legislative textsParliament, for its part, considers that,  particularly should there be any change either to the legal basis or to the procedure for adopting  the text concerned, it must reserve its view as to whether codification is desirable, given the  need to comply with the 'normal legislative process` within the meaning of paragraph 5 of this  Agreement.