Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-23-Speech-3-119-000"
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"en.20120523.6.3-119-000"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members, Mr Vice-President of the Commission, the right of inquiry is an important feature of the European Parliament’s supervisory powers, allowing it to set up committees of inquiry to investigate alleged maladministration in the implementation of Union law.
Whilst the Lisbon Treaty has not materially changed the specific subject matter covered by Parliament’s right of inquiry, it has introduced changes in the procedure for establishing the detailed provisions governing the exercise of that right. Such provisions shall now be determined by Parliament, acting on its own initiative after obtaining the consent of the Council and the Commission. The Presidency fully respects Parliament’s right of initiative on this matter and has therefore closely followed the work of Mr Martin’s report.
Likewise, the Presidency has worked hard within the Council to be ready to begin formal trialogue negotiations with Parliament. During the exchange of views I had on this topic with the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) in January, I indicated that, coming from a country with a tradition of transparency and strong parliamentary scrutiny, I will approach this matter with an open mind and a willingness to find a reasonable compromise.
The contacts that have taken place between the rapporteur and the Presidency following the vote in AFCO on the Martin report have provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the matter further and to improve our respective understanding of each other’s viewpoint. I would like to thank Mr Martin for his willingness to listen to the Council’s concerns and for the constructive dialogue which he entered into with the Presidency. There is no reason to hide the fact that this matter is sensitive for all the institutions concerned. However, I am confident that the contacts which the Presidency had with Mr Martin will provide a good basis for further interinstitutional contacts.
Without entering into much detail on the draft report, I would like to highlight two points which are of particular importance to the Council. Firstly, the Council believes that the fundamentally political nature of Parliament’s right of inquiry should be reflected in the proposed new rules. This is crucial in order to avoid any interference with court proceedings. It also means that committees of inquiry cannot be vested with prerogatives of a quasi-judicial nature.
Secondly, the principle of attribution of competences, which is also enshrined in the Treaties, has to be fully respected. This implies that, in the framework of their investigations, the committees of inquiry should avoid any overlap with the competences of other institutions or of Member States.
Mr President, honourable Members, Vice-President of the Commission, I look forward to further contact with Mr Martin and with Parliament’s negotiating team on this issue, and let me assure you that the Presidency will do its utmost to reach a compromise which will be acceptable to all three institutions and will allow Parliament to exercise its right of inquiry in the most efficient possible way."@en1
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