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Europaudvalget 2002-03
EUU Alm.del INFO-note I 113
Offentligt

Folketingets Europaudvalg

Christiansborg, den 23. januar 2003

Folketingets repræsentant ved EU

Til

udvalgets medlemmer og stedfortrædere

Nationale parlamentarikere i EU-Konvent kræver

styrket rolle i fremtidens EU

Giscard d’Estaing modtager i dag med posten en fælles erklæring fra 46 nati-

onale parlamentarikere i Det Europæiske Konvent. Underskriverne kommer

fra 24 af de 28 stater, som er repræsenteret i Konventet. Kun parlamentsmed-

lemmer fra Grækenland, Østrig, Belgien og Slovakiet har ikke tilsluttet sig er-

klæringen.

I erklæringen kræver de 46 parlamentsmedlemmer, at Konventet ikke glem-

mer de nationale parlamenters interesser, når slutspillet om den kommende

forfatningstraktat for alvor går i gang de næste fem måneder.

Vigtig koordination på det europæiske plan

Ifølge erklæringen er det nødvendigt, at de nationale parlamenter samarbejder

på det europæiske plan. De skal her udveksle informationer og bedste ”praks-

iser” for parlamentarisk kontrol samt, hvis der opstår behov for det, kunne ud-

trykke deres fælles synspunkter. Samtidig understreges det dog, at de nationa-

le parlamenters vigtigste funktion, i forhold til den europæiske lovgivnings-

proces, er at kontrollere deres regeringers handlinger på det europæiske ni-

veau. Men tilstedeværelsen på det europæiske plan skal netop bidrage til at

gøre denne kontrol mere effektiv.

Med hensyn til spørgsmålet om hvordan de nationale parlamenter skal samar-

bejde på det europæiske plan, udtrykker de 46 parlamentarikere håb om, at

den reform af COSAC, som det danske Folketing har stået i spidsen for det

seneste halvår, vil lykkes. Specifikt nævnes i den forbindelse forslagene om at

overgå til flertalsafgørelser i COSAC samt at etablere et lettere administrativt

sekretariat til at sikre bedre kontinuitet og effektivitet i COSACs arbejde.

Overvågningen af nærhedsprincippet

I erklæringen gives der ligeledes udtryk for tilfredshed med de resultater, der

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hidtil er opnået i Konventets arbejdsgruppe I og IV med forslaget om etable-

ringen af en form for ”klagesystem” (early warning system), som skal gøre det

muligt for nationale parlamenter at påtale krænkelser af nærhedsprincippet

overfor EU-institutionerne.

Stadig udestående punkter

Ifølge de 46 parlamentarikere er der endeligt nogle udestående punkter, som

Konventet ikke har diskuteret, hvor der er behov for bedre inddragelse af de

nationale parlamenter. Det gælder EU’s fælles udenrigs- og sikkerhedspolitik,

Europol og de områder, som aftales via den såkaldte ”åbne koordinationsme-

tode.

Med venlig hilsen

Morten Knudsen

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Contribution on the role of national parliaments

***

National parliamentarians make up the majority of the Convention, comprising 56 out of 105

members. In choosing this composition for the body charged with preparing a “constitutional

treaty” for the Union, the European Council clearly recognised that national parliaments con-

stitute one of the fundamental elements of democratic legitimacy in the building of Europe.

Moreover, the European Council, at Nice and at Laeken, highlighted ‘the role of national par-

liaments’ as one of the main questions to be treated first by the Convention, and then by the

next intergovernmental conference.

It is notable, however, that in Convention debates, the representatives of national parliaments

have not had an influence commensurate with their numerical strength and very active parti-

cipation, and that the question of ‘the role of national parliaments’ has often been treated quite

defensively, sometimes even with scepticism, by other Convention members.

Why has this situation come about?

First of all, contrary to the Convention’s other constituent bodies, the representatives of natio-

nal parliaments are not used to working together and they do not have at their disposal either

the human resources or necessary facilities in order to collaborate effectively and to put for-

ward joint concerns. Furthermore, it has been difficult for them to attend working group mee-

tings which have not been scheduled either prior to or just after Convention meetings.

In addition, other components of the Convention do not always seem to be aware of the role

that national parliaments can play in increasing the legitimacy of the European Union.

However, these are all additional reasons why national parliamentarians must today face up to

their responsibilities and remain aware of developments.



An increased role for national parliaments would help to make the Union more

democratic and bring it closer to citizens.

The role of national parliaments is, in the first instance, to control action taken at the Euro-

pean level by governments. But national parliaments acting alone, and only at the national

level, are not able effectively to control governments which, for their part, work together

within the Council. National parliaments must be able to co-operate, to be made aware of

each other’s positions, to exchange information and best practices, and, when the need arises,

to express their common concerns.

National parliaments also have a pivotal role to play in helping to anchor Europe more firmly

in each country. The European institutions often seem remote, indeed inaccessible, for citi-

zens: they are abstaining from voting in European elections in increasing numbers. National

parliamentarians, being close to citizens, can play the role of intermediary and help to estab-

lish links between individual citizens and Europe. To that end they have to be in a position to

be able to relay the hopes, the fears and the desires of their electors to the Union’s institutions.

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Lastly, European construction has brought about a greater overlap in European and national

policies. European issues can no longer be considered as foreign policy questions: they are

inextricably linked to questions of domestic policy. In many areas, national parliaments have

responsibilities in the implementation of European policies. They would be much better able

to exercise these responsibilities, if they were to be included, at an earlier stage, in the decisi-

on-making process.

In order to ensure the active involvement of national parliaments in the Union’s activities, the

future Treaty must guarantee more openness and transparency in the working methods of the

Council. There must be enough time for national parliaments to discuss the issues. The six-

week period in the Amsterdam Treaty Protocol on the role of national parliaments should be

strictly observed, with exception on the grounds of urgency, and the clear week should be

guaranteed between a legislative item being considered at Coreper and by Council.



Consideration of the role of national parliaments has certainly progressed in the Con-

vention (thanks particularly to the working groups chaired by Gisela Stuart and Inigo

Méndez de Vigo) and in COSAC; but it remains incomplete.

The progress made rests principally on two points:

the report of the working group on subsidiarity, supported on this point by the working

group on national parliaments, has recognised that national parliaments have a specific

interest in and responsibility for the respect of the principle of subsidiarity;

it is hoped that the work of COSAC, under the auspices of the Danish Presidency,

could open the way to reaching agreement on the reform of COSAC; deliberations

would no longer be subject to unanimity voting (except with regard to changing the

rules of procedure), and COSAC would be equipped with a light administrative secre-

tariat, facilitating greater continuity and better efficiency. A ‘Code of conduct’ would

serve as a reference document to develop best scrutiny practices. Thus reformed—and

when the time comes, renamed—COSAC might constitute an appropriate arena for the

development of interparliamentary exchanges and the airing of shared concerns. If ag-

reement on the reform of COSAC is achieved, it would be necessary to reflect this in

the provisions of the future treaty.

But some important points are still outstanding. This leaves the possibility of certain

significant areas remaining outside the realms of real parliamentary control:

the ‘open method of coordination’ occupies the middle ground between purely inter-

governmental cooperation and common rules put in place at the Union level. This me-

thod should not just be the responsibility of the Council and the Commission; it should

specifically involve national parliaments, who will then be obliged to account to citi-

zens for decisions taken within the framework of the guidelines defined in this way. Is

it seriously possible, for example, to envisage a coordination of national budgetary po-

licies without consulting all the national budgetary authorities?

the development of the European Security and Defence policy makes it necessary to

find appropriate mechanisms for parliamentary scrutiny, possibly under the reformed

COSAC, taking into account experiences of relevant parliamentary bodies (Conferen-

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ces of Chairpersons of Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees of national parlia-

ments, WEU Parliamentary Assembly etc…)

the question of the role of national parliaments in exercising control over Europol has

not been resolved.

As the debate on institutional matters starts in earnest in the Convention, national parliaments

must not remain on the sidelines, with debate confined to the balance of power between the

three central EU institutions. We believe that if the Convention does not succeed in finding a

meaningful place for national parliamentarians in the European institutional architecture, it

will have failed in one of its central tasks. If this happens, the results of the Convention will

not command the confidence of European citizens and will not provide an enduring and solid

basis for the democratic and peaceful Europe which we all wish to build.

For these reasons, the signatories to this contribution, regardless of nationality or political

affiliation, are committed to ensuring that the principle of national parliamentary control is

firmly anchored at the European level.