Brussels, 05/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Inter-Institutional Relations Commissioner Maroš Šefèoviè called on Tuesday 4 October for national parliaments to be more closely involved in defining European Commission priorities. “We need to hear your views on what you consider to be the political priorities for the Union. We need to know what your perception of the common interest of Europe is”, the commissioner said at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) in Warsaw.
Welcoming the continuing increase in the number of opinions the Commission receives from parliaments - over 400 this year alone - Šefèoviè stressed that “it is not only about scrutinising our proposals thoroughly; it is also about shaping a shared vision of Europe”.
He stated that the enormous agenda for Europe, with the crisis, economic governance and the EUROPE 2020 strategy, “can only be realised through an effective partnership with national parliaments”.
He also noted that, two years after the Lisbon Treaty came into effect, and with Europe at the top of national political agendas, it is “more important than ever” that the parliaments and the Commission “exploit the full potential of our political dialogue and cooperation”. (CG/transl.rt)