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DER 19.-20/6 Thessaloniki vedrørende aftale om bedre lovgivning

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Medlemmerne
af
Folketingets
Europaudvalg
og
deres
stedfortrædereBilagJournalnummerKontor1400.C.2-0EU-sekr.17. juni 2003
Til underretning for Folketingets Europaudvalg vedlægges i forbindelse med Det
Europæiske Råd i Thessaloniki den 19.-20. juni 2003 formandskabets note
vedrørende interinstitutionel aftale om bedre lovgivning, 10212/03.


 
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNIONBrussels, 5 June 2003 (13.06) (OR.
fr)10212/03 INST 118 MI 134 POLGEN 42 JUR 245
NOTE
from :Presidencyto :Members States delegationsNo. prev. doc. :9530/1/03 REV 1Subject
:Draft interinstitutional agreement on better law-making
Delegations  will  find  attached  the  text  (the  French  version  of  which  was  the  basis  for
negotiation)  of  the  draft  interinstitutional  agreement  on  better  law-making,  on  which
political  agreement  was  reached  at  the  meeting  between  the  President  of  the  Council,  Mr
GIANNITSIS, Commission Vice-President Ms Loyola de PALACIO DEL VALLE-
LERSUNDI  and  the  Members  of  the  European  Parliament  mandated  to  represent  their
institution, Mr GARGANI, Mr SWOBODA and Ms FRASSONI in Strasbourg on 3 June
2003.
This  text  will  be  presented  as  a  "I/A"  item  to  the  Permanent  Representatives  Committee
(Part  2)/Council  at  a  forthcoming  meeting  so  that,  in  accordance  with  the  Presidency
conclusions  of  the  Brussels  European  Council  meeting  on  20  and  21  March  2003,  the
Thessaloniki European Council can confirm that the negotiations have been completed.
The  agreement  will  be  adopted  formally  only  after  it  has  been  revised  by  the  three
institutions'  legal  and  linguistic  experts,  and  it  will  be  signed  only  when  the  internal
procedures of each of the three institutions concerned have been completed.  
______________
ANNEX
3 June 2003
DRAFT INTERINSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT
ON BETTER LAW-MAKING
(following the interinstitutional policy meeting of 3 June 2003)
Having regard to the treaties and, in particular, Article 5 of the EC Treaty and the Protocol
on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,
Having  regard  to  the  Declarations  annexed  to  the  Maastricht  Final  ct:  No  18  on  the
estimated costs under Commission proposals and No 19 on the implementation of
Community law,
Having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreements of 25 October 1993 on the procedures
for  implementing  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  of  20  December  1994  on  the  accelerated
working  method  for  the  official  codification  of  legislative  texts,  of  22  December  1998  on
common guidelines for the quality of drafting of Community legislation and of 28
November 2001 on a more structured use of the recasting technique for legal acts,
Having noted the conclusions of the 21 and 22 June 2002 Seville and 20 and 21 March 2003
Brussels European Council meetings;
Emphasising  that  this  agreement  is  concluded  without  prejudice  to  the  outcome  of  the
Intergovernmental Conference to be held subsequent to the Convention on the Future of
Europe;
Common commitments and objectives
1.  The  European  Parliament,  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  and  the  European
Commission  jointly  agree  to  improve  the  quality  of  law-making  by  means  of  a  series  of
initiatives and procedures set out in this interinstitutional agreement.
2. The institutions agree, in exercising the powers and following the procedures laid down in
the Treaty, and in recalling the importance which they attach to the Community method, to
abide by general principles such as democratic legitimacy, the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality,  the  principle  of  legal  certainty,  the  promotion  of  simplicity,  clarity  and
consistency  in  the  drafting  of  law  and  the  utmost  transparency  of  the  legislative  process.
They  call  on  the  Member  States  to  ensure  proper,  speedy  transposition  into  national  law
within the time limits laid down in Community law, pursuant to the Stockholm, Barcelona
and Seville European Council presidency conclusions.
Better coordination of the legislative process
3.  The  institutions  agree  to  ensure  that  general  coordination  of  their  legislative  activity  is
improved, as an essential foundation to better law-making within the European Union.
4.  The  three  institutions  agree  to  improve  the  coordination  of  their  preparatory  and
legislative work in the context of the codecision procedure, and to publicise it in appropriate
fashion.
The  Council  will  notify  the  European  Parliament  in  good  time  of  the  draft  multiannual
strategic programme which it recommends for adoption by the European Council. The three
institutions will forward to one another their respective annual legislative timetables with a
view to agreeing on common annual programming.  
In particular, Parliament and the Council will seek to establish, for each legislative proposal,
an indicative timetable for the various stages leading to the final adoption of that proposal.
To  the  extent  that  multiannual  programming  has  an  interinstitutional  impact,  the  three
institutions will initiate cooperation through appropriate channels.
As far as possible the Commission's annual  work programme will contain guidance on the
choice of legislative instrument and proposed legal base of each measure to be put forward.  
5. The three institutions will, in the interests of efficiency, ensure as far as possible that there
is better synchronisation of the treatment of common dossiers by the preparatory bodies of
each branch of the legislative authority (European Parliament committee, working party and
Permanent Representatives' Committee at the Council).
6. Throughout the legislative process the three institutions will keep each other permanently
informed  about  their  work.  This  information  will  be  based  on  appropriate  procedures,
including  dialogue  between  the  European  Parliament's  committees  and  plenary  and  the
Council Presidency and the Commission.
7.  The  Commission  will  report  annually  on  the  state  of  play  of  its  legislative
proposals. [to be inserted elsewhere in the text]
8. The European Commission will ensure that, as a general rule, Commissioners are present
for  discussions  at  European  Parliament  committee  meetings  and  plenary  sittings  on  draft
legislation for which they are responsible.  
The Council agrees to continue the practice of maintaining intensive contact with Parliament
by  means  of  regular  attendance  at  plenary  debates,  as  far  as  possible  by  the  ministers
concerned. The Council will also endeavour to participate regularly in the work of
Parliament's  committees  and  in  other  meetings,  preferably  at  ministerial  level  or  at  some
other appropriate level.
9. The Commission will take account of requests made by the European Parliament
or the Council, on the basis respectively of Articles 192 or 208 of the EC Treaty, for
the submission of legislative proposals. It  will respond rapidly and appropriately to
the  relevant  European  Parliament  committees  and  to  the  Council's  preparatory
bodies.
Greater transparency and accessibility
10. The three institutions confirm the importance which they attach to greater transparency
and to the increased provision of information to the public at every stage of their legislative
work, whilst taking into account their rules of procedure. They will ensure in particular that
public debates at political level are broadcast as widely as possible through the systematic use
of new communication technologies such as, inter alia, satellite retransmission and Internet
video streaming. They will also ensure that the public has greater access to EUR-Lex.  
11.  The  three  institutions  will  hold  a  joint  press  conference  to  announce  the  successful
outcome  of  the  legislative  process  in  codecision  cases,  once  a  proposal  has  been  finally
adopted, whether after first reading, second reading or conciliation.
Choice of legislative instrument and legal base
12. The Commission will explain and justify to the European Parliament and the Council the
reasons for its choice of legislative instrument, if possible in the context of its annual work
programme or regular dialogue procedures and, in any event, in the explanatory memoranda
of its initiatives. It will consider any request in this connection from the legislative authority
and it will take account of the results of any consultations which it has undertaken before
tabling its proposals.  
It  will  ensure  that  the  action  it  proposes  is  as  simple  as  is  compatible  with  the  proper
realisation of the objective of the measure and the need for effective implementation.  
13. The three institutions recall the definition of the term ‘directive' (Article 249 of the EC
Treaty)  
and the relevant provisions of the Protocol on the application of the principles of
subsidiarity and proportionality annexed under the Treaty of Amsterdam to the EU and EC
Treaties. In its proposals for directives the Commission will have regard to the need for a
proper balance to be struck between general principles and detailed provisions, in a way that
avoids excessive use of Community implementing measures.
14. The Commission will provide a clear and comprehensive justification for the legal basis
envisaged for any individual proposal, indicating it if possible when its annual legislative and
work programme is being considered. In the event of a change in the legal base after any
Commission  proposal  has  been  presented,  Parliament  will  be  duly  reconsulted  by  the
institution  concerned  in  full  compliance  with  the  case-law  of  the  Court  of  Justice  of  the
European Communities.
15. In the explanatory memoranda to its proposals the Commission will, in all cases, set out
the  legal arrangements which currently exist at EC level in the area affected by the proposal.
The Commission will also explain in its explanatory memoranda how measures proposed are
justified  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  subsidiarity  and  proportionality  principles.  The
Commission will also account for the scope and the results of the prior consultation and the
impact analyses it has undertaken.
Use of alternative modes of regulation
16.  The  three  institutions  recall  the  Community's  obligation  to  legislate  only  where  it  is
necessary, in accordance with the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity
and proportionality annexed under the Treaty of Amsterdam to the EU and the EC Treaties.
They recognise the need to use, in suitable cases and where the Treaty does not specifically
require the use of a legal instrument, alternative regulation mechanisms.
17.  The  Commission  will  ensure  that  any  use  of  co-regulation  or  self-regulation  is  always
consistent  with  EC  law  and  that  it  meets  the  criteria  of  transparency  (in  particular  the
publicising  of  agreements)  and  the  representativeness of the parties involved. It must also
represent  value  added  for  the  general  interest.  These  mechanisms  will  not  be  applicable
where fundamental rights or  
important political options are at stake, or in situations where the rules have to be applied in
a uniform fashion in all Member States. They must ensure swift and flexible regulation which
does not affect the principles of competition or the unity of the internal market.