Activities of Jo LEINEN related to 2012/2034(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Relations between the European Parliament and the institutions representing the national governments (debate)
Amendments (8)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas Parliament is fully aware of the independence of the European Council and of the important role conferred upon it by the treaties, and has no intention of callthe European Council has specific functions in the realm of common foreign and security policy, in the appointment of the Commission President, in executive decisions in the enhanced cooperation and passerelles procedures, in determining the economic and employment policy guidelines, in acting as referee in cases of blockage in the Council of Ministers, ing this into questione procedures relating to a breach of fundamental rights, in enlargement and in treaty change;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas this practice is worth formalising so that it can serve as a precedent for the future; whereas it should also be improved, given that: on the European patent system, the European Council called into question a legislative agreement concluded between Parliament and the Council; on economic governance, the European Council saw fit to renegotiate provisions identical to those which a previous regulation had already made applicable; on an EU banking supervisory authority, the European Council adopted two contradictory positions one year apart, which it could have avoided by taking greater account of Parliament’s position; whereas negotiations on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework saw the legislative process held to ransom: the legally required unanimity in the Council could only be achieved by pre-empting certain major policy choices in the regulations on the policies to be financed, which, in some areas, reduces Parliament’s role to one of merely amending secondary provisions;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ea (new)
Recital Ea (new)
Ea. whereas the European Council has overstepped the powers assigned to it in Europe's institutional structure by the Treaties, for example by calling a legislative agreement between Parliament and the Council on the European patent system into question and renegotiating provisions on economic governance that had already been made applicable by means of a regulation; whereas in the space of one year the European Council adopted two contradictory positions on the banking supervisory authority; whereas the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework saw the legislative process held to ransom: the legally required unanimity in the Council could only be achieved by pre-empting certain major policy choices in the regulations on the policies to be financed, which, in some areas, reduces Parliament’s role to one of merely amending secondary provisions;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas in all these cases, by definition the most important, the absence of formalised dialogue between Parliament and the European Council prevented Parliament from fully playing its role as co-legislator, as laid down in the treaties; whereas the official interlocutors of Parliament’s representatives have often not had the power to properly engage governments; whereas, although theoretically responsible for preparing meetings of the European Council, the President-in-Office of the Council and the General Affairs Council appear to play only a marginal or formal role; whereas although there is greater interest in the introductory remarks by the President of the European Parliament at the opening of European Councils, their political impact remains limited;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ga (new)
Recital Ga (new)
Ga. whereas the European Union's rotating Council Presidency has proved to be a disadvantage, since the adoption of key legislative acts is delayed by the six- monthly change of Presidency, continuity in the work of the Council of the European Union is not sufficiently guaranteed by the troika made up of the previous, current and forthcoming Presidency, and Member States are not always adequately prepared for the administrative and political tasks involved when taking over the Presidency;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Gb (new)
Recital Gb (new)
Gb. whereas, with 28 Member States at present, each Member State takes over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union only once every 14 years;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8a (new)
Paragraph 8a (new)
8a. Calls for a critical assessment to be made of the role of the European Council as part of the next revision of the Treaties pursuant to Article 48(2) TEU and for consideration to be given to entrusting the European Council with the task of coordinating the work of the Council of the European Union, through the possibility of meeting as the General Affairs Council;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8b (new)
Paragraph 8b (new)
8b. Calls for the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union to be abolished as part of the next revision of the Treaties pursuant to Article 48(2) TEU; instead proposes that each Council formation should choose its Presidency from among its members for a period of two and a half years;