Brussels, 27/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament hopes to introduce new forms of “pre- and post-legislative dialogue” with national parliaments once the Lisbon Treaty is in force. In his draft report on the development of relations between the EP and national parliaments within the framework of the Lisbon Treaty, Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, Germany) suggests meetings between the EP's specialised parliamentary committees and member states should be increased and developed with a view to setting up a “permanent network of corresponding committees” allowing for dialogue to take place at an early stage on current or envisaged pieces of legislation underway at EU level. Mr Brok also suggests that national parliaments should give MEPs the right to be invited once a year to speak in plenary sittings of national parliaments, to participate in meetings of European affairs committees on a consultative basis, and to take part in meetings of specialised committees whenever they discuss relevant pieces of European Union legislation. The report welcomes the fact that, since last year (at the initiative of José Manuel Barroso), national parliaments systematically receive, in real time, all the legislative proposals adopted by the European Commission. Mr Brok nonetheless requests that the EP, also, should be informed of the position of national parliaments at an early stage in the legislative process. National parliaments are therefore invited to communicate to the European Parliament, at the same time as to the Commission, opinions they issue in the context of this procedure. Cooperation between national parliaments and the EP has become much closer in the field of foreign affairs, security and defence, Mr Brok was pleased to state. On the other hand, he notes with concern that there is too little accountability to parliaments for the financial arrangements with regard to the CFSP and ESDP. Cooperation between MEPs and national MPs in this field must be improved to ensure democratic control over all aspects of these policies, the rapporteur stresses. In order to avoid duplication, the report also calls for “the Parliamentary Assembly of the WEU to be dissolved as soon as the WEU has been absorbed fully and finally into the European Union with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty”.
Generally speaking, the rapporteur welcomes the new rights that the Lisbon Treaty confers upon national parliaments relating to: - information (on policies with regard to freedom, security and justice, on proposals for revision of treaties, and on requests for accession to the EU); - active participation (Europol and Eurojust control, review of treaties); - objection (“yellow card” and “orange card” procedures to ensure respect of the principle of subsidiarity, amendments to treaties in simplified procedure, legal cooperation in civil law matters, and complaints before the Court of Justice in cases of violation of the principle of subsidiarity). The draft report by Mr Brok will be examined in EP constitutional committee on 9 March. (H.B./transl.jl)