Report from the Commission - Annual Report 2007 on relations between the European Commission and national parliaments
Date: 2008-05-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Commission, activity report, interinstitutional relations, national parliament

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 6.5.2008 
COM(2008) 237 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

ANNUAL REPORT 2007 
ON RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND NATIONAL 
PARLIAMENTS 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

ANNUAL REPORT 2007 
ON RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND NATIONAL 
PARLIAMENTS 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In  2007  the  Commission's  new  approach  to  strengthening  its  relations  with  national 
Parliaments made significant progress. One practical element of this approach is regular visits 
by the Commission  President  and  other members  of the College to the national Parliaments 
(more  than  120  in  2007).  Another,  introduced  in  September  2006,  is  the  consultation  of 
national  Parliaments  on  all  Commission  communications  and  proposals,  whether  of  a 
legislative  or  other  nature.  As  of  31 December  2007,  the  Commission  had  received  168 
opinions from national Parliaments. On these two fronts, the past year was highly successful, 
and relations with national Parliaments were significantly expanded. 

The  signature  of  the  Lisbon  Treaty  marked  a  quantum  leap  in  terms  of  the  participation  of 
national Parliaments in the Community legislative process. The role to be played by national 
Parliaments  was  at  the  heart  of  the  institutional  settlement.  Once  the  new  treaty  enters  into 
force, national Parliaments will have the right to express their opinion on the application of 
the principles of subsidiarity in all Commission legislative initiatives. They will also be able 
to  request  further  explanations  from  the  Commission  ("yellow  card")  and  even  initiate  a 
procedure leading to a specific, qualified vote in the European Parliament and in the Council 
of the European Union ("orange card"). 

As  a  preliminary  however,  the  national  Parliaments  must  ratify  the  Lisbon  Treaty,  which 
greatly strengthens their role in European affairs. In 26 of the 27 Member States, ratification 
will take place by parliamentary procedure only.  

2. 

ASSESSMENT OF FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS 

Of the 40  parliamentary chambers invited to  take part in the political dialogue (14 Member 
States have a monocameral system, 13 a bicameral one), a very large number sent feedback. 

2.1. 

Reactions from national Parliaments 

168 opinions 

National Parliaments have continued to play an active role in setting up the political dialogue 
mechanism  launched  in  2006.  As  of  31 December  2007,  the  Commission  had  received  168 
opinions regarding 82 Commission texts from 27 national Parliaments in 19 Member States 
(see attached list). 

Thirty-five opinions were issued as part of two coordinated subsidiarity exercises conducted 
by  the  Conference  of  Community  and  European  Affairs  Committees  of  Parliaments  of  the 
European  Union  (COSAC)  and  launched  in  late  2006.  In  all,  19  chambers  informed  the 
Commission of their position on the proposal concerning jurisdiction and the applicable rules 
in  matrimonial  matters,  and  16  opinions  were  submitted  concerning  the  proposal  on  the 
completion of the internal market for postal services.  

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During  2007,  COSAC  launched  only  one  exercise  of  this  type,  relating  to  the  Council 
Framework Decision on combating terrorism of 6 November 20071. 

Numerous Commission proposals commented on  

The  133  remaining  opinions  concerned  various  Commission  documents.  Several  proposals 
elicited  at  least  three  opinions:  the  proposals  on  the  European  Technology  Institute,  the 
common  organisation  of  the  wine  market,  soil  protection,  sanctions  against  employers  of 
illegally  staying  third-country  nationals;  the  Green  Papers  on  tobacco,  modernising  labour 
law, diplomatic and consular protection, public access to documents held by the institutions of 
the European Community, research policy and the future common European Asylum System; 
the  Communication  on  a  European  vision  for  the  oceans  and  seas  and  the  Annual  Policy 
Strategy for 2008.  

It  should  be  noted  that  the  national  Parliaments  showed  particular  interest  in  the  Annual 
Policy Strategy for 2008. Five chambers communicated their reactions via opinions during the 
political dialogue launched by the Commission. This dialogue has taken other forms as well, 
namely  hearings  organised  on  the  Parliaments'  initiative,  with  or  without  Commission 
Members present, and debates at COSAC.  

Very active Parliaments  

Some lower chambers were very active: the French Senate, the German Bundesrat, the House 
of Lords and the Czech Senate alone submitted 92 opinions. Sweden's Riksdag and Denmark's 
Folketing also took positions on several consultation documents, while the Parliament of the 
Portuguese  Republic  issued  a  series  of  favourable  opinions  on  subsidiarity.  These  seven 
chambers issued 138 opinions. 

Commission replies 

The  Commission  replied  to  109  of  these  opinions.  41  of  the  opinions  from  the  national 
Parliaments  were  favourable  and  did  not  require  any  answer  other  an  acknowledgement  of 
receipt.  The  Commission  replies  in  the  language  of  the  chamber  concerned,  and  its  reply  is 
sent for information to the European Parliament and the Council.  

National parliament rejoinders 

The French Senate responded to the Commission's replies on proposals concerning the ban on 
the use of the dog and cat fur, motorway infrastructure safety and penalties for employers of 
illegally  staying  third-country  nationals.  The  House  of  Lords  reacted  twice  to  a  proposal 
regarding the European Technology Institute. The French Senate and the German Bundesrat 
also  revisited,  in  2007,  comments  they  had  made  in  2006  regarding  the  proposal  on  soil 
protection.  

2.2. 

An ongoing process 

Increased participation 

With  the  exception  of  the  exercises  coordinated  by  COSAC,  the  national  Parliaments' 
opinions  initially  came,  primarily,  from  very  active  lower  chambers.  However,  it  should  be 
noted that the Swedish and Danish parliaments expressed opinions as early as the document 
consultation stage. 

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The opinions of the national Parliaments on the Decision did not reach the Commission before the end 
of 2007. 

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General policy comments 

While the exercises organised by COSAC were limited to subsidiarity, it should be noted that, 
generally,  the  national  Parliaments'  opinions  also  covered  political  issues  related  to  the 
contents  of  the  Commission  proposals.  Certain  chambers  like  the  French  Senate,  the  Dutch 
Parliament  and  the  Parliament  of  the  Portuguese  Republic  focused  on  questions  of 
subsidiarity and proportionality. However, the Portuguese Parliament also adopted a general 
opinion  concerning  the  Commission  communication  on  its  achievements  in  2006,  which 
touched  on  subjects  including  the  Lisbon  strategy,  the  single  market,  social  solidarity  and 
energy.  

IPEX more effective 

The  IPEX  database  is  increasingly  functional  and  enables  the  Commission  to  be  better 
informed  about  interparliamentary  cooperation  and,  in  particular,  about  the  existence  of 
national  Parliament  opinions  that  have  not  been  reported  to  it.  Plans  have  been  made  to 
increase cooperation with IPEX in 2008. 

2.3. 

Effects on policy formulation 

The  most  immediate  effect  of  the  national  Parliament  opinions  is  to  elicit  a  reply  and 
explanation from the Commission. This is a new form of transparency that the Commission 
would like to promote in order to enrich its policy formulation and development process.  

In  accordance  with  the  Treaty  and  their  constitutional  rules  and  practice,  the  national 
Parliaments  do  not  take  part  in  decision-making  at  European  level.  As  part  of  the  political 
dialogue  launched  by  the  Commission  in  September  2006,  their  contribution  can,  however, 
help improve European policy formulation.  

The national Parliaments have replied on numerous occasions to consultation documents from 
the  Commission.  For  its  part,  the  Commission  will  take  these  replies  into  account  when 
drafting its proposals.  

It  is  worth  noting  that,  while  examining  legislative  proposals  from  the  Commission,  on 
several  occasions  the  European  institutions  echoed  concerns  expressed  by  the  national 
Parliaments. This was the case with such matters as the completion of the internal market for 
postal  services,  the  proposals  on  soil  protection,  motorway  infrastructure  safety  and  the 
European Technology Institute. 

Lastly, it should be noted that the Commission accepted the suggestion made by the French 
Senate that it should modify the title of the proposal on the protection of pedestrians and other 
vulnerable road users. It will refer the matter to the European Parliament and the Council. 

There  are  also  occasions  when  it  may  be  desirable  to  rework  a  text  in  order  to  clarify  the 
Commission's intentions. As one example, during the discussions in the Council, the recitals 
contained  in  the  proposal  on  fruit  and  vegetables,  COM(2007) 171,  were  amended  and 
expanded in order to make more explicit the justification on subsidiarity and proportionality 
grounds. 

3. 

WORKING VISITS BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION AND OTHER CONTACTS WITH 
NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS IN 2007 

Visits to national Parliaments  

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Under  the  new  approach  to  relations  between  the  Commission  and  national  Parliaments2, 
three  general  objectives  have  been  established  to  guide  the  Commission's  actions:  mutual 
service  and  establishment  of  an  open,  permanent  dialogue,  practical  networking  and,  via 
closer  ties  to  elected  representatives,  greater  proximity  to  citizens.  In  this  context,  regular 
working visits by Commission Members to national Parliaments were defined as a key action. 
The  Commission  President  and  the  Vice-President  with  responsibility  for  interinstitutional 
relations  committed  themselves  to  visiting  all  the  national  Parliaments  during  the  current 
legislative  term.  The  frequency  of  these  visits  is  a  new  development  that  clearly  shows  the 
importance that the Commission is attaching to being more in touch with national Parliaments 
and better explaining policies to them. 

In  2007,  President  Barroso  visited  the  Lithuanian,  Portuguese,  Maltese,  Romanian  and 
Estonian  Parliaments.  He  also  attended  the  COSAC  meeting  in  Estoril  on  15 October  2007 
and  the  meeting  of  the  Conference  of  Foreign  Affairs  Committee  Chairpersons  of  the 
Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union. 

Vice-President  Wallström  visited  the  Italian  and  Dutch  Parliaments  and  the  House  of 
Commons  and  House  of  Lords  in  2007.  She  met  twice  in  Brussels  with  a  delegation  of  the 
Swedish  Parliament  and  attended  the  meeting  of  Presidents  of  COSAC  delegations 
(12 February in Berlin) and the COSAC meeting on 15 May 2007.  

It should also be noted that the commissioners visited or otherwise had contacts with national 
Parliaments on more than 120 occasions this year. 

Attendance at interparliamentary meetings 

The  Commission  accepted  numerous  invitations  to  attend  meetings  with  the  national 
Parliaments  organised  by  the  European  Parliament  or  jointly  organised  by  the  EP  and  the 
national  Parliament  of  the  country  holding  the  Presidency,  at  both  parliamentary  committee 
and ad hoc levels. 

President  Barroso  attended  interparliamentary  forums  on  the  future  of  the  European  Union 
(12 June  2007  and  4 December  2007)  and  the  Lisbon  Strategy  (6 February  2007).  Vice-
President Verheugen kicked off the work of this last forum on 5 February 2007. Mr Almunia 
took part in the interparliamentary forum on the eurozone on 28 February 2007. Mr Kovacs 
attended the Conference of the Presidents of Parliaments of the European Union on 26 May 
2007 in Bratislava. 

Newsletters 

The Commission's Secretariat-General produced three newsletters that were distributed within 
the Commission, at the European Parliament and in the national Parliaments. 

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"Ten target actions" communicated to the College by Ms Wallström on 9 February 2005  

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New form of communication regarding the EU 

The  organisation  of  the  political  dialogue  between  the  Commission  and  the  national 
Parliaments led to significantly more information being exchanged. Moreover, in response to 
a  request  by  the  European  Parliament  within  the  framework  of  the  2007  budget,  the 
Commission began to develop Pilot Information Networks (PINs). These serve as a platform 
for exchanges  and interaction between European and national MPs that  promotes structured 
debates on a variety of topics; the goal is to share knowledge about the European Union and 
promote  new  ideas  and  policies.  The  platform  contains  links  both  to  the  EUROPA  website 
and to the IPEX website. 

Permanent representatives  

Commission  staff  attended  12  meetings  of  the  permanent  representatives  of  the  national 
Parliaments in Brussels. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Since early 2005, the Commission's relations with the national Parliaments have been guided 
by  a  clear  and  concise  roadmap.  The  key  targets  formulated  at  the  start  have  enabled  the 
Commission  to  create  a  solid  working  relationship  with  the  national  Parliaments  and  then 
initiate a dialogue to improve policy formulation.  

In  2008,  relations  between  the  Commission  and  the  national  Parliaments  will  be  developed 
further, while fully respecting the prerogatives of the EU institutions. 

In particular, it will be important to study the political dialogue with the national Parliaments 
in greater detail while preparing the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The Commission 
plans  to  maintain  the  current  framework  for  dialogue  with  the  national  Parliaments  and  to 
strengthen  it  by  publishing  its  replies  to  their  opinions  and  by  adapting  its  system  for 
disseminating documents and collecting opinions. At the same time, the Commission will take 
the necessary steps to implement the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty.  

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NATIONAL PARLIAMENT OPINIONS 

ANNEX 

Opinio
ns 
receiv
ed 

Empower
ment ** 

Simplifi
ed  reply 
*** 

Favourable 
opinion *** 

Replies 
sent 

REMARKS 

40 

21 

18 

17 

7 January 2008 

COUNTRY 

1 

FR Sénat 

2  DE Bundesrat 

3  UK House of Lords 

SV Riksdagen 

4 

5 

PT  Assembleia 
República 

da 

19 

6  DK Folketing 

7 

CZ Sénát 

12 

11 

8  NL  Eerste  Kamer 
Tweede Kamer 

/ 

3 

9  DE Bundestag 

10  LT Seimas 

3 

3 

11  FR 

Assemblée 

2 

nationale 

12  BE Sénat / Senaat 

2 

13  UK 

House 

of 

2 

Commons 

14  HU Országgyűlés 

2 

15  LUX  Chambre  des 

2 

députés 

16  EE Riigikogu 

17  CZ  

Poslanecká sněmova 

2 

1 

18 

Camera 

IT 
Deputati 

dei 

1 

19  BE  Chambre 

des 
Représentants  /  Kamer 

1 

Both 
chambers * 

29 

21 

17 

16 

- 

7 

10 

3 

1 

1 

2 

1 

- 

1 

- 

1 

- 

1 

7 

- 

1 

1 

- 

2 

- 

- 

2 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

4 

- 

- 

- 

13 

3 

1 

- 

1 

1 

1 

- 

1 

2 

- 

2 

- 

1 

- 

24 

15 

14 

9 

- 

8 

6 

3 

3 

2 

1 

2 

2 

- 

2 

- 

1 

- 

1 

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van  

Volksvertegenwoordig
ers 

20  PL Sejm 

21  PL Senat 

22  FI Eduskunta 

23 

IE Oireachtas 

24  SI Državni zbor 

25  SK Národná rada 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

1 

1 

1 

- 

1 

1 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

Both 
chambers * 

Total: 

168 

112 

15 

41 

94 

* The opinions of the Dutch and Irish Parliaments were sent on behalf of both chambers. 

**  Empowerment:  the  Commission  empowered  the  Vice-President  for  institutional  relations  to  reply  to  the 
national Parliaments on its behalf, subject to the agreement of the departments and cabinets concerned.  

*** If an opinion is favourable, the Commission sends an acknowledgement of receipt only. In other cases, it 
either empowers the Vice-President for institutional relations to reply to the chambers concerned or replies itself 
in a simplified manner.  

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