Yet it has been argued by former Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering that as the Parliament does have the right to ask the Commission to draft such legislation, and as the Commission is following Parliament's proposals more and more Parliament does have a de facto right of legislative initiative.
Akan tetapi, pernyataan tersebut telah dibantah oleh mantan presiden Parlemen, Hans-Gert Pöttering, bahwa karena Parlemen memiliki hak untuk meminta Komisi menyusun legislasi tersebut, dan karena Komisi semakin mengikuti usulan Parlemen, Parlemen memiliki hak inisiatif legislatif secara “de facto”.