WRITTEN QUESTION P-2610/01 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Council. Council procedures.
Date: 2001-09-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Council, European Parliament, amendment, majority voting, operation of the Institutions, quorum, rules of procedure

C 93 E/170

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

(2002/C 93 E/202)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2610/01

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Council

(20 September 2001)

Subject: Council procedures

Will the Council please describe the procedures used in deciding upon amendments to Commission draft
directives and regulations, including provisions for votes if any?

Reply

(10 December 2001)

The Council would remind the Honourable Member that the general rule in this matter is contained in
Article 205(1) of the EC Treaty, which provides: ‘Save as otherwise provided in this Treaty, the Council
shall act by a majority of its members.’ This implies that other provisions of the Treaty . and this is
particularly the case with provisions that confer a power of action on the Council . may specify another
voting rule in accordance with which the Council must act.

to the voting rules

As
that apply when the Council decides on amendments made by the
European Parliament at its first and second readings of a proposed legislative act in the course of the co-
decision procedure, these are laid down in Article 251 of the EC Treaty.

For the cooperation procedure the relevant article is Article 252 of the EC Treaty.

As to the voting rules applicable in the Council with regard to amendments suggested by the European
Parliament in an Opinion delivered during a consultation procedure, the Council takes its decisions in
accordance with the voting rule specified by the legal basis of the act concerned, it being understood that
in the context of
the
Commission’s wishes except on the basis of unanimity (Article 250(1) of the EC Treaty).

the EC Treaty the Council cannot amend the Commission proposal against

Voting arrangements and matters relating to the quorum and the representation of a member of the
Council are dealt with Articles 4 and 11 of the Council’s Rules of Procedure; the arrangements concerning
the written procedure are set out in Article 12.

(2002/C 93 E/203)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2631/01

by Cecilia Malmström (ELDR) to the Commission

(27 September 2001)

Subject: Year of Languages 2001

The EU and the Council of Europe have designated 2001 the European Year of Languages. It is dedicated
to all languages spoken in Europe. Projects funded by the Commission during the year will, as well as the
11 official languages of the EU, also cover Icelandic and Norwegian, other national languages such as Irish
and Letzeburgesch, many regional and minority languages, classical languages and sign languages.

However, for some reason, there is no funding for Esperanto. Esperanto was devised in 1887 with a view
to creating a new artificial common language in addition to all other languages. As nobody would have
Esperanto as his mother tongue, everybody would start on the same footing. Hundreds of thousands of
people in Europe speak Esperanto today.

Why is Esperanto not included in the Year of Languages 2001?