WRITTEN QUESTION E-3976/03 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission. Complexity of simplifying the Community acquis.
Date: 2004-01-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community acquis, consolidation of EU law, interinstitutional agreement, simplification of legislation

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/515

(2004/C 84 E/0592)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3976/03

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(5 January 2004)

Subject: Complexity of simplifying the Community acquis

The Commission informed the institutions of what it identifies as a key objective of its White Paper on
European Governance, simplification, in two communications (1).

According to a timetable given on page 7 of COM(2003) 71 of 11 February, this simplification is to
culminate in the adoption of ‘methodology and procedures’ sometime after the end of 2004.

The mid-term review of the CAP and its implementing legislation was subsequently highlighted in
COM(2003) 623 of 24 October as a step forward in the field of simplification, which is truly
extraordinary.

Does the Commission not believe that
simplification process, making it intelligible, clear and concise?

it would be important

to start by simplifying its so-called

(1) COM(2003) 71 and COM(2003) 623.

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 2004)

In the section of the communication Updating and simplifying the Community acquis (1) on methodology
for determining the order of priority of
and procedures,
simplification work. The Council and Parliament were asked for their views on the indicators but have
not yet replied to the Commission’s requests.

the Commission proposed indicators

In its first interim report on the implementation of the framework action (Updating and simplifying the
Community ‘acquis’) (2), the Commission reviewed the implementation of the various actions proposed in
its February 2003 communication (1). The report reveals that the Commission adopted 14 simplification
proposals during the first stage of the framework action (February-September 2003) as well as four new
simplification proposals which were not included in the February 2003 communication. These new
proposals are in addition to the 18 simplification proposals before the legislative authority. The
Commission hopes that the legislative authority will examine the outstanding proposals quickly.

With a view to identifying new policy sectors and acts where simplification may be possible, the
Commission had also hoped, following its February 2003 communication, that it would receive the
Council’s and Parliament’s comments. To date, these institutions have not made any suggestions to the
Commission.

The Commission would add that, on its initiative, the three institutions signed the ‘better lawmaking’
interinstitutional agreement on 16 December 2003 providing a framework for legislative activity relating
to simplification including the use of the ‘alternative’
instruments. The Commission hopes that this
agreement will be implemented as quickly as possible with the definition of operational procedures for the
examination of the simplification proposals for which Parliament and the Council set themselves a time
limit of six months.

(1) COM(2003) 71 final.
(2) COM(2003) 623 final.