Thursday

28th Mar 2024

MEPs await large extension of powers

  • Europa statue - in the front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (Photo: EUobserver)

MEPs are awaiting next week's entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty with impatience as the new institutional rules give the EU assembly a say in an array of new areas, including the EU's money-eating farm policy and its long-term budget.

While the new EU foreign policy chief and council president represents a shake-up for the external face of the bloc, the internal shake-up, placing further substantial co-legislative power into the hands of euro-parliamentarians, is widely seen as the more profound change.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Come 1 December, the parliament will gain a say on, amongst other areas, legal immigration, judicial co-operation in criminal matters, police co-operation, structural funds, services of general economic interest [euro-jargon for public services], structural funds, transport, personal data protection and intellectual property rights.

The rise in legislative powers represents almost a doubling in power, with the instances where deputies will work on proposed laws on an equal footing with member states rising from around 40 to almost 90.

Of these, the most important areas are seen as energy security, common commercial policy and farm policy, with the last policy area accounting - contentiously - for around 40 percent of the EU's budget.

This comes atop the already substantial powers the EU legislature has in internal market and environment legislation, which in recent years saw it significantly water down a law on opening up the services markets and tighten up rules on registering chemicals in everyday products, a hugely important law with implications for companies around the globe.

MEPs' consent will also be needed for the bloc's longterm seven-year budget, where agreement is normally preceded by a bunfight amongst member states on money and priorities, while the parliament will have co-legislative powers on the annual budget.

"It's a real win for the parliament. MEPs will, legislatively-speaking, virtually be everywhere," remarked an EU official.

Underestimated?

Analysts believe the changes have been underestimated by member states.

"I think there'll be a moment of: 'My God, what the hell have we done?' I think there will be that after ten years or so. There will certain be successors to today's prime ministers turning around and going: 'How did we ever agree to that?'" says Hugo Brady from the London-based Centre for European Reform.

But he warned that MEPs should use their new powers wisely rather than charging around like "blunderbusses." This will lessen the impact of the awakening member states will have down the line about parliament's power.

On the other hand, the fact that the EU assembly now has so much say over money and will be able to "influence" how the EU budget is spent over the longterm is a great opportunity. "Now has its hands on the purse-strings, which is the beginning of all great parliaments."

In budgetary terms, a key moment, for both parliament and member states, is likely to be in 2013 when governments are set to agree the next multi-annual budget beginning the following year.

According to Jorge Nunez Ferrer, an expert at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, the fact that money for farm policy will no longer be "untouchable" may spur MEPs to take a more active interest in it.

"Now that the parliament can participate fully on both the policy and on the budget, other parliamentarians may decide it is worthwhile putting their time into agricultural issues if they want money from the agricultural part to be distributed in areas that they are interested in," he noted.

A move in this direction would change the parliament from being a rather anti-reformist assembly in this respect to a promoter of change.

This could have important implications for both the reform of the common agricultural policy and the next agreement on the long-term budget, with the EU budget policy - now up for an overhaul - long seen by critics as not focussing on the real challenges of today such as climate change, and the need for innovation and more R&D.

Reimer Boege, a member of the parliament's budget committee, noted that rules for parliament on the budget are "much, much stronger," saying that it "forces us all (member states and MEPs) to find common agreements."

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  2. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  3. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  4. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  5. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  6. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  7. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
  8. 2024: A Space Odyssey — why the galaxy needs regulating

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us