Brussels, 02/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The EU Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce, which represents around 132 companies of American origin to the European institutions, presented, on 26 March, as a reaction to the European Commission's White Paper on European governance, a number of ideas on reforms. According to the Chamber of Commerce, such reforms should be carried out given the discussions on governance that have just begun. Mr Taquet-Graziani, Chair of the EU Committee's Institutional Affairs Subcommittee, stressed that this was "an initial step in a larger process on EU institutional reform", to which the American Chamber of Commerce plans to contribute its expertise.
Above all, the Committee insists on:
- the fact that it is itself a "natural" counterpart to the Commission. In a press release, the EU Committee states that it supports the negotiation of a partnership agreement with the European Commission, which would formalise the existing working relationship, and "ensure more timely and effective contribution to Commission proposals, which are of direct relevance to business".
- support to the EU which speaks "with a single voice on trade matters". According to the Committee, qualified majority voting should be extended to trade matters, and transparency and democratic accountability need to be improved without damaging the efficiency of daily trade policy decision-making.
- the need, during the adoption of Community legislation, for greater account to be taken of the impact it will have on the single market.
- its support of the safeguard of the Community method and the European Commission's capacity of initiative and its role as guardian of the treaties. The Committee also stresses that the Council should strengthen the "effective implementation of Community legislation", and that there should be "closer interaction between the Commission and the European Council".