Brussels, 23/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the Commission will adopt its White Paper on Governance. Announced over a year ago and presented as one of the four strategic priorities of the Prodi Commission, this white Paper is intended as a Commission contribution to reflection on the decentralisation of the European Union and improving coherence of Community policies. Romano Prodi will himself present this text to the press on Wednesday, text that is an initial response to the very low turn-out in the elections to the European Parliament and the Irish "No" in the referendum.
This text was not easy to draw up, and was far from receiving unanimity within the College, with discussions on both content and goal. Will the text finally, as its defenders declare, be a useful and necessary document to bridge the gap between the citizens and the European Union, with its proposals for reforms that may be undertaken without altering the Treaties and without waiting for 2004 and the next reform of the Institutions? Or, will it be useful document limited by its lack of ambition to the point of "disappointing those who see in the White Paper the main contribution of the Commission to the debate on the future of Europe", as Commissioner Chris Patten wrote in a letter addressed to Romano Prodi earlier this month?
As it stood on Monday before final discussions between the Commissioners' chefs de cabinet, the White Paper turns to two subjects. In addition to the general principles (Europe must get closer to the citizens), it proposes a certain number of interesting ideas on procedures, and on relations between the EU and its citizens and the regions. Most of these proposals are intended to be implemented rapidly. Bit they concern neither the future of the European Union nor the desired level of Community integration, and even less so the distribution of powers between the European Union, Member States and regions. Both as explanation of the contents of the text and a compromise between the different expectations within the College, the White Paper stresses that the Commission will adopt an additional contribution to the reform of the Institutions in the framework of preparing for the Laeken Summit, stipulating that the proposal will be based on the principles of the White Paper. An information note on preparations for Laeken will, moreover, be presented to the College on Wednesday.
Opening up to civil society, participation of the regions and improving the decision-making process
are the three main axes of the White Paper
"Openness, participation, accountability, efficiency and coherence" are the five principles underpinning the White Paper that proposes:
1. "Better participation":
- better informing citizens, with more information available on the Internet at all stages of the procedure. Member States are called upon to communicate more on Europe.
- develop regional participation: this point, which some Commissioners were against, is still being discussed in the Commission, on the aspect of knowing what - delicate - balance to propose between the role of Member states, a direct link between the Commission and the regions, and flexibility in the forms of partnership. In its current version, the text strengthens the first aspect in relation to the second. It stresses that the involvement of regions is primarily a responsibility of Member states, while adding that a "complementary" response may be provided by the EU. The Commission should propose setting up a more systematic consultation mechanism with local and regional authorities within a year, and launch pilot-projects to establish a new form of partnership: an EU/State/Region "contract" in certain fields, to implement local dialogue on "basic" legislation adopted at European level. The Paper should also propose that the Committee of the Regions play a greater role in advice and analysis.
Involve civil society, develop consultation and networks: according to the Commission, the development of the role of the Economic and Social Committee should be a means of taking account, upstream, of the expectations of civil society. The Commission intends to adopt a code of conduct by the end of the year to organise consultations around its plans. The Council and Parliament are called onto do likewise.
2. Improving the elaboration and implementation of policies: the Commission should propose improving the legislative process by "combining the instruments for a better results". It proposes making more use of regulations, when uniform implementation throughout the EU is necessary, so as to avoid delays in transposition, as well as making more use of framework directives for other issues.
It also suggests using the co-regulation mechanism, which combines legislative work with actions taken in the sectors concerned, on the basis of what has already been done for the environment (reduction in car emissions) and single markets. Another method to use: coordination (cooperation, exchange of good practice between States). An action plan for better regulation will be presented at Laeken. The Commission also wants to consolidate existing Community texts, which may overlap. The Fifteen are called on to improve implementation of Community texts, using experience gained with applicant countries to improve their administrations.
3. Contributing to the debate on "global governance". The Commission places emphasis on the need to promote better governance at a world level.
4. Refocusing the role of institutions. The Community method needs revigorating. To do that, the White Paper should stress that much may be done without modifying the Treaties. It would like the Council - and especially the General Affairs Council - to play a role of political guidance and arbitration between sectoral interests, which it has lost. The European Council would then be free to turn to the major guidelines and less to the details. The European Parliament should increase its control over Community policies and budgets and do so more politically. For its part, the Commission must focus on the roles of proposal, execution and guardian of the Treaties and of representing the Community.
Actions that only concern the Commission would be undertaken in the next two years. For the others, it is launching a consultation process open to all (sg-governance@cec.eu.int) until the end of March 2002, with as goal to make proposals on this basis, but still within the framework of the existing treaties, until the end of 2002.