Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-04-19-Speech-1-068"
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"en.20100419.16.1-068"2
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".
Madam President, Mr Šefčovič, many speakers start their speech in Parliament by saying that their topic is important, very important or even among the most important. I, too, would like to say this, but with much more reason than many others, since the subject we are discussing now, Parliament’s power of legislative delegation to the Commission, is perhaps the most important and yet often neglected innovation in the Treaty of Lisbon.
Those who criticised the Treaty of Lisbon spoke of a democratic deficit. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say that this amendment, that is, the guarantee of Parliament’s power of legislative delegation, is one of the most significant expansions of Parliament’s jurisdiction. This means that representatives elected directly by citizens will henceforth be able, in Parliament and by virtue of their legislative powers, to oversee and veto the implementing resolutions and decisions introduced by the European Commission. In other words, this element of the Treaty of Lisbon, frequently mentioned in connection with the expansion of Parliament’s powers, namely, that the codecision procedures have increased significantly in number and that the areas in which Parliament can participate have expanded, represents, along with the question of Parliament’s power of legislative delegation, not only a quantitative but also a significant qualitative expansion. In other words, from now on, as the result of a long struggle and battle which has been fought here for many years, and which continues to be fought by the Members of the European Parliament, we are guaranteed that the decisions taken by the European Commission which do not fall within its own jurisdiction but are adopted through delegated legislative powers are overseen by Parliament. Many may say, of course, that in a formal sense, this oversight already existed. In a sense, that is true, but with such deadlines and in such circumstances, and as a result of such legislative and interinstitutional cooperation as did not allow for effective oversight. I would also like to draw attention to the fact that this new possibility, that is, Article 290 of the Treaty of Lisbon, will also transform the work of Parliament in the coming years, particularly if we, Members of Parliament, take these powers seriously and are truly able to take decisions on these matters.
If the outside world and non-specialists in this area are also to understand what this is all about, since this is a very technically complex subject matter that nevertheless concerns a democratic institution and serves to eliminate the so-called democratic deficit in Europe, we should point out the following: What this means is that Parliament and the Council, the two legislative powers of the European Union, cannot on their own deal with every matter of detail. Parliament sits every month, and sometimes there are circumstances, like now, when we are sitting but cannot vote, even though Parliament must, after all, oversee those issues which the Council or the Commission, under delegated legislation, addresses. From now on, it will be possible to do so.
In my report, I strove to make it clear that Parliament insists on these rights. We will not accept any additional obligation that goes beyond what is laid down in the treaty. We will not accept it because we wish to exercise our rights fully, and I think that European democracy will increase as a result. If we are to do so, close cooperation with the Commission and the Council is, of course, necessary, but we must not forget that now the competence rests with the legislators, and therefore with Parliament and the Council. I wish to thank everyone, all my fellow Members, for their cooperation in this complex subject matter, and also wish that Parliament will, in future, use its new powers to the full."@en1
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