Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-13-Speech-2-519-000"
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"en.20110913.41.2-519-000"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members, I very much welcome Parliament’s proposal to hold a debate on the subject of better law making. This subject is a matter of interest to both colegislators alike – to the Council as well as to Parliament. I would also like to express my esteem for the authors of each of the reports which have provided the basis for today’s debate. A particular source of encouragement is the fact that the House attaches such great importance to the question of making better legislation, both at European and at national level.
I would like, firstly, to say a few words about the report drafted by Ms Lichtenberger on the annual report on monitoring the application of European Union law. A few words, because this monitoring is primarily the domain of the Commission, not the Council. The Council certainly shares many of the reservations expressed in the report, and these reservations do not concern exclusively the fact that infringements of European law occur too often, just as we are too often faced with the late transposition of laws. It should also be remembered that in fact, the Commission should first of all carry out monitoring and, if need be, require clarifications from the Member States. I am sure that Mr Šefčovič will want to develop this subject in his speech.
In his report on better legislation, subsidiarity and proportionality, and smart regulation, Mr Karim rightly observes that by means of its Communication on Smart Regulation in the European Union, the Commission is trying to ensure that these regulations play a more central role in European policy formulation. The Council fully shares the favourable opinion presented in this report on the subject of a new agenda for smart regulation.
In its conclusions of 30 May 2011, the Council stressed the importance of the question of stimulating competitiveness and growth. This is an integral part of the Europe 2020 strategy. We are convinced that by placing emphasis on the entire legislative process, it will be possible to have a more comprehensive approach to better law making. It will also be possible for the work of legislators to be more closely related to the needs of society.
Naturally, as colegislators, we are working towards the same objectives. The challenges we face are often the same. The laws we make must improve the life of our citizens, contributing to their prosperity and supporting economic growth. In our work, we often have to try to find a balance between different obligations which are frequently difficult to reconcile. This means that legislation at European level, perhaps even more often than legislation at national level, is the result of compromise, and a compromise does not always offer a guarantee that what it produces will meet what is required of it in terms of clarity and brevity. If we are to maintain the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, if we are to comply with the principle of ‘think small first’, if we want our work to bring about a reduction in administrative burdens and we also want it to result in clearer legislation, we have to demonstrate a high degree of self-discipline. The critical moment comes when Members of the House draft amendments in committee and ministers present the views and positions of their countries in the Council. It is precisely at this moment – during work in committee and at meetings of the Council – that we should particularly remember our objectives in relation to better law making.
Mr President, honourable Members, I would also like to say a few words about the report drafted by Ms Sargentini, who has completed the work begun by Ms Hautala. This report is about public access to documents and transparency. Both reports contain many interesting suggestions. This matter is a crucial one. With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, access to documents became a fundamental right of every citizen of the Union, and also of every natural or legal person residing in a Member State.
A variety of criticisms are often made of the Council, so what is the situation with the Council’s documents? Well, at the end of 2010, the public register of the Council’s documents contained over 1.5 million items. Over 75% of those documents could have been made publicly available. In comparison to 2009, this means an increase of around 12% in the number of documents made directly available by the register. In terms of requests for public access, the General Secretariat of the Council gave consideration to over 9 000 documents in 2010. In the case of over 70% of these, a decision was made to grant access to the whole of the document. Work is currently under way on two Commission proposals, made in 2008 and 2011 respectively, for revision of Regulation No 1049/2001. We are closely following the work being done in Parliament on these two proposals, so that we will be able to respond when Parliament adopts its position. At the present moment, we are conducting preliminary discussions on the 2011 proposal. We hope that soon we will be able to agree a general approach, which will facilitate dialogue with Parliament. Our main objective is constructive cooperation with Parliament, so that we are able to achieve our aim of adopting an amended regulation. This is in the interest of the whole of society and is for the common good."@en1
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