Brussels, 17/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The future EU Treaty should clearly differentiate between legislative and executive powers and develop the Lamfalussy procedure, states CDU member Karl von Wogau, Chairman of the Kangaroo Group, which groups MEPs calling for the internal market to be speeded up.
During a press conference on Tuesday in Brussels, Mr von Wogau challenged the attacks against the "Lamfalussy method" which recently appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "On the basis of the agreement reached between the European Parliament, Commission and Council on the Lamfalussy package, the European Parliament today is in a strong position regarding the enactment of implementing measures", assured the German MEP. The agreement reached in February provides for the Parliament to have three months in which to give its stance on implementation measures (derived legislation) to be adopted directly by the Commission. "If Parliament objects to such an implementing regulation, the European Commission will, according to Romano Prodi, 'take the utmost account of Parliament's position", stressed Karl von Wogau. If the Parliament is not pleased, it will no longer give the Commission a mandate, as every act calls for a new delegation of power, he insisted. In his view, there should therefore not be any obstacle to extending the Lamfalussy method to the banking and insurance sector, being discussed in Council.
The MEP recalled, moreover, that a Kangaroo working group has begun reflection on modernisation of legislative procedures, with a view to revision of the Treaty. As the report by Jean-Louis Bourlanges (EPP, France) suggested a few years ago, it would be appropriate to establish a new typology for legislative texts: current directives would become "legislative principles", regulations of a legislative kind would become "laws", and regulations of an executive kind "regulations", which would give a framework for specific decisions or "administrative acts". This hierarchy of norms would make it possible to establish a better distinction between legislative regulations and executive regulations, says the MEP. Mr von Wogau also urged for Article 202 of the Treaty, which stipulates that legislative regulations should be adopted by the Council, should be re-worded in order to take into account the extension of codecision procedure.