MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Commission Work Programme for 2016
1.7.2015 - (2015/2729(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 37(3) of the Rules of Procedure and the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the Commission
Bas Eickhout, Igor Šoltes on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0656/2015
B8‑0659/2015
European Parliament resolution on the Commission Work Programme for 2016
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Commission Communication on the Commission Work Programme for 2015 (COM (2014)0910),
– having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Better regulation for better results’ COM(2015)0215),
– having regard to the ‘Report of the Five Presidents’ of 22 June 2015 entitled ‘Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union,
– having regard to the existing Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the Commission and, in particular, Annex 4 thereto,
– having regard to Rule 37(3) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas in the context of the ongoing crisis, the European Union needs bold proposals for enhanced political legitimacy, strengthened citizens’ confidence and closer cooperation on social, economic and monetary policies;
B. whereas the Commission’s President was right to consider that the outcome of the last European elections is a call for change from citizens and that a new start is needed;
C. whereas the Communication on the Commission Work Programme for 2015 was structured like a truly political programme, around a few targeted political goals which indeed helps to make sense of European policymaking and contributes to a more political reading of the Commission’s action;
D. whereas this programme together with the activity of the College in its first year clearly demonstrates a strong neoliberal bias in many key policy areas (trade, employment, agriculture, etc.) even when it offers some valuable first steps in urgent and significant areas (lobby register, taxation, resource efficiency, etc.);
E. whereas the structure, heading and wording of the Commission’s priorities ignore the disastrous effects of the austerity policies, and clearly downgrade social and environmental issues as minor concerns, all of which are subordinated to the hypothetical return of growth, blind to the damages done to society and the citizens by rising inequalities and the environmental crisis;
F. whereas this almost exclusive focus on outdated policies and supply-side economics eclipses the mentions of social justice and inequalities, public health, education, culture and many areas that are as crucial to the relaunch of activity as they are to the core and heart of European societies;
G. whereas the Commission is the guardian of EU treaties in which sustainable development, social justice, solidarity, and the fundamental rights of European citizens to a clean environment and a high level of environmental protection are enshrined;
H. whereas concerns about the spirit of the Commission’s ‘better regulation’ agenda, especially when it comes to essential pieces of environmental and social legislation, are justified, given the Commission’s positions, particularly those of its first Vice-President Timmermans;
I. whereas the desire to reduce legislative burdens when these are unnecessary or outdated is widely shared but several recommendations clearly show a de-regulatory purpose, destroying important European rights and/or standards;
J. whereas reducing the overall costs of regulation on business cannot come at the expense of the health, safety and environmental protection that these regulations provide to European citizens, workers and consumers;
Priorities for 2016: sustainability, social and economic justice, fundamental and citizens’ rights, and enhanced means for EU action
1. Shares the Commission’s concerns regarding the dire state of the Union today, and the urgent need to seriously invest in order to break the current pattern of stagnation; finds regrettable nevertheless that the Commission’s ‘new start’ reflects mostly the priorities of pre-crisis Europe, choosing to maintain the orthodox framework of the economic policies that led to the crisis, failing to fully recognise what 21st century Europe really needs and what Europeans truly demand; emphasises in this context the need for a new industrial strategy such as RISE (Renaissance of Industry for a Sustainable Europe) that combines sustainability and competitiveness through inter alia energy and resource efficiency;
Sustainability
2. Urges the Commission to make sustainability the core of any sound, future-oriented and crisis-solving economic policy and to give it substance in this and future work programmes via a dedicated heading focused on the comprehensive and rapid implementation of the 7th Environmental Action Programme and the preparations for a new EU Sustainable Development Strategy; considers that the projects selected by the guarantee fund underpinning the so-called ‘Juncker plan’ must respond to such priorities; emphasises that a new ambitious and comprehensive sustainable industrial strategy is needed as too little attention has been given to this critical policy area, especially as regards the circular economy package; insists that public investments must focus on energy transition, eco-innovative SMEs, research and education; is opposed to diverting already planned EU-programme funds, such as Horizon 2020 – Research and Innovation Funding, towards lesser quality or unsustainable projects;
3. Expects the Commission to propose legislation in 2015 according to the ordinary procedure in order to implement the 2030 climate and energy framework and calls for the Commission to present it as a package (ETS, Effort Sharing Decision, Fuel Quality Directive, and legislation covering agriculture, forest and other land use emissions); reiterates the need to clarify the greenhouse gas impacts of the various uses of forest biomass for energy and to identify the uses that can achieve the biggest mitigation benefits within policy-relevant timeframes, and to come forward with proposals for sustainability criteria for energy use of biomass;
4. Expects the Commission to propose legislation in a timely fashion according to the ordinary procedure in order to establish the Energy Union, including the implementation of a 2030 climate and energy framework; reiterates its opposition to fossil fuel and nuclear funding;
5. Calls on the Commission to ensure the full implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC, along with proposals for effective regulation including from Parliament in order to allow ambitious and binding renewable energy targets for 2030 to be achieved;
6. Calls on the Commission, in line with the commitments laid down in the 7th Environment Action Programme, to make proposals to extend requirements relating to inspections and to extend binding criteria for effective Member State inspections and surveillance to the wider body of Union environment law, and to ensure effective access to justice in environmental matters in order to fully implement the Aarhus Convention;
7. Calls for the evaluation of the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) to be concluded as soon as possible, in order for the Commission to ensure the full implementation of these legislation and to make proposals for amending them through the ordinary procedure by the end of 2016; recalls in this context the promise made by President Juncker for a 2030 minimum binding 30% energy efficiency target and insists on the Commission to take on board fully, when reviewing these directives, Parliament positions on this matter and the energy efficiency first principle;
8. Calls on the Commission to come forward with a specific framework for tackling the impact of transport on climate change, as a matter of urgency; calls on the Commission to complete its review on the regulation of CO2 emissions from cars, and to bring forward an ambitious proposal containing a 2025 target; calls furthermore on the Commission to address emissions from heavy-duty vehicles;
9. Expects the Commission in 2016, based on its consultative communication in 2015, to propose new legislation according to the ordinary procedure on overall energy market design, retail market and self-consumption;
10. Is very disappointed by the proposal presented on 22 April 2015 amending Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 as regards the possibility for the Member States to restrict or prohibit the use of genetically modified food and feed on their territory, which does not address the acknowledged democratic deficit in the authorisation procedure for GMOs, although the Commission Work Programme 2015 had provided for a review of the decision-making process for the authorisation of GMOs; expects the Commission to work constructively with the co-legislators in order to achieve a true democratisation of the authorisation process, including for applications for the cultivation of GMOs;
11. Expects the Commission to constructively work with Parliament on the December 2013 cloning proposal, in order to reach an agreement that takes into account consumer expectations and animal welfare concerns and thus provides for strict rules on food derived from the descendants of cloned animals;
12. Calls for the strengthening and expansion of the eco-design requirements in product legislation as part of a new and more ambitious circular economy proposal, in order to increase resource efficiency at the product side of the circle;
Social and economic justice
13. Welcomes the attention given to green jobs, eco-innovation, eco-industries, the labour mobility package and the employability package with a follow-up on the Youth Guarantee but accordingly demands concrete actions; is concerned that the declared ‘priority’ on job creation is not the responsibility of DG Employment but is being developed by Commission actors without a track record on employment and job creation, while job creation is actually the backbone of employment policies; doubts therefore the Commission’s commitment to the creation of quality jobs and to really ‘benefiting the citizens’ and instead fears investment activism without job potential;
14. Deplores the persistent absence of specific proposals to address the rising inequalities, and social urgency caused by austerity policies, especially in the Troika’s programme countries; calls on the Commission to work towards a ‘Social Protection Floor’, in order to ensure that European citizens enjoy a minimum level of social protection throughout their lives (access to affordable housing, access to adequate health care, a right to child care, minimum standards for income security, including pensions, or an equivalent minimum social protection, etc.);
15. Takes note of the proposal for a deeper and fairer EMU; expects nevertheless more ambitious and encompassing proposals, including a roadmap towards a meaningful and countercyclical fiscal capacity for the EMU, which would also address asymmetric shocks, as well as further proposals aimed at making the European environmental and social targets as binding, reviewed and sustainable investments-friendly budgetary objectives;
16. Notes the rising attention given to the concept of the carbon bubble by the European Central Bank and Financial Stability Board; calls on the Commission to include this issue in its Capital Markets Union and deplores that it was not included in the respective Green Paper; calls on the Commission to provide transparency requirements with regards to the CO2 footprint of financial investments, for example, in the Non-Financial Reporting Directive;
17. Welcomes the first step towards enhanced fiscal justice against the persistent aggressive tax planning, which deprives Europe of its legitimate and necessary budgetary resources, through strengthening the obligation for Member States to exchange information on tax rulings; considers it however vital to propose amendments to the parent subsidiary and the interests and royalties payment directive to close the existing loopholes;
18. Welcomes the revival of the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) while fixing as a first quick step the biggest loopholes in the Parent-Subsidiary Directive and the Interest and Royalties Directive;
19. Asks the Commission to make use of EU company law to impose tax transparency on all multinational companies, and to impose strict requirements on shell companies with the aim of effectively banning them;
20. Looks forward to contributing to the ‘strategy for renewed and integrated approach to the single market in goods and services’, particularly focused on sectors where economic potential is greatest; asks the Commission to build this strategy on high levels of safety, security and consumer protection, and to ensure timely transposition and proper implementation of existing legislation before prematurely proposing new or revised legislation;
21. Looks forward to the Commission follow-up on promises made in the Digital Single Market strategy for Europe, in particular copyright reforms, geo-blocking and the review of the Universal Service Directive and the ePrivacy Directive; warns against endangering social and working conditions in the drive to reduce the cost of parcel delivery and reminds that cost-effective delivery services should include quality for both those providing and those receiving such services; highlights the need to balance freedom of speech, and judicial oversight and responsibility when tackling illegal content on the internet, whilst using the ‘follow-the-money’ principle when enforcing provisions;
22. Calls on the Commission to consider more seriously how digitalisation can drive the ecological and social transformation of the economy and its consequences;
23. Is deeply concerned by rising regional inequalities in Europe since the beginning of the crisis, and therefore regrets that EFSI will not be targeting the EU regions most affected by the investment gap and high unemployment; expects the Commission to clarify its position on the future of the urban dimension, on the territorial agenda/territorial cohesion and to examine the relation between EFSI and cohesion policy by evaluating at an early stage the functioning and the use of the EU guarantee;
Fundamental rights and citizens’ participation
24. Welcomes the European Agenda on Migration, adopted on 13 May 2015 focusing on a range of initiatives to develop a more holistic approach to migration; opposes greatly the dubious and misleading association between migration and security issues as made in the initiative by the High Representative to take military action in the fight against smuggling of human beings;
25. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal on relocation of refugees from Italy and Greece, but urges the Commission to further develop binding instruments for a human-rights based approach on people seeking protection from war and persecution in the EU by creating effective ways for legal entry for refugees; encourages the Commission to foster burden sharing and solidarity among Member States; calls on the Commission as a matter of urgency to also present as part of the European Agenda on Migration a plan for developing legal routes for labour migration;
26. Notes that the rule of law mechanism proposed by the Commission in May 2014 is not sufficient to address breaches of the rule of law and fundamental rights in the Member States; calls on the Commission to present a proposal for the establishment of an effective EU mechanism on democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, relying on common and objective indicators to carry out an impartial, yearly assessment on the situation in all Member States, involving an evaluation by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, together with appropriate binding and corrective mechanisms, such as infringement procedures and Article 7 TEU procedure, in order to fill existing gaps and allow for an automatic and gradual response to breaches of the rule of law and fundamental rights at Member State level;
27. Calls on the Commission to propose legislative initiatives on combating all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence; calls on the Commission to start the EU accession to the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), as repeatedly called for by Parliament;
28. Strongly supports the initiative for a mandatory transparency register but expresses major concerns that it would be based on an interinstitutional agreement and as such the register is not binding for lobbyists and thus not mandatory; reiterates hence Parliament’s demand for a legislative proposal; calls on the Commission to further strengthen its action in the field of anti-corruption and more specifically focus on tackling the misuse of EU funds and tax fraud in the Union;
29. Commends the Commission’s transparency initiative that includes publishing contacts between Commissioners, cabinets, directors-general and lobbyists; is concerned with the large number of exemptions from publication; suggests that the Commission begins publishing these meetings in a centralised location rather than on 89 individual websites;
30. Considers that a revision of the ECI regulations is urgent in order to ease the administrative and technical requirements, to redesign the online collection systems for signatures to be user-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities, to harmonise the mechanism for the verification of supports in every Member State, to provide enhanced legal protection to the citizens’ committees, to consider funding ECIs through the EU budget, to allow proper follow-up to a successful ECI and to allow non-national European residents to sign in the host country, since the administrative processes are becoming so cumbersome and arcane, that it only increases hostility towards the European project;
31. Welcomes the Commission support for the initiative by the education ministers of the Member States (on 17 March 2015, Paris) on sharing good practices on education, citizenship and the prevention of radicalisation; urges the Commission to follow up on and to take the necessary steps to implement this declaration by monitoring the actions undertaken at the level of the Member States, and by giving special attention to the European school projects of Erasmus+, which has so far neglected within the new framework;
32. Urges the Commission to better support the ‘Europe for citizens’ programme, with more means, as this is the only programme to maintain direct contact with NGOs and citizens involved in EU society issues and topics;
Enhanced means for EU action
33. Demands a fully-fledged, post-electoral revision of the MFF, and not just a technical review, as a way to mobilise the EU budget and thus contribute to the recovery of the European economy, ensuring the success of the EU2020 Strategy, supporting the EU’s post-2015 international commitments and dealing structurally with the growing payment problem;
34. Urges the Commission to adopt all operational programmes for the funding period 2014-2020, and in case of pending adoptions to mobilise all its resources to help the Member States concerned;
Withdrawal, REFIT and the ‘better regulation agenda’
35. Expresses serious concerns about REFIT in general, that the work of regulatory simplification is used as a pretext for lowering the level of ambition on issues of vital importance to the safety and well-being of employees, of consumers, or on the protection of the environment; believes that simplification is about quality and is opposed to any kind of quantitative target in this matter;
36. Considers that impact assessments should never replace political decisions or cause delays in the legislative process and should not only focus on cost and price competitiveness and potential market-losers, but also public benefits, innovation, potential market winners and fundamental rights;
37. Strongly opposes the notion of priority treatment in the legislative process for simplifying and reducing the regulatory burden, as laws aimed at increasing the level of citizens’ political and social rights and improving health and the environment should be considered as priorities;
38. Notes that the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive are included in the fitness check due to end in 2016; emphasises in general that this process must not be taken as a pretext for lowering the level of ambition on issues of vital importance to the protection of the environment and in particular that these directives are the cornerstone of Europe’s efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and restore degraded ecosystems, and that their regulatory framework is both flexible and modern and is a framework within which business can adapt and operate successfully; is opposed therefore to opening the directives for review;
39. Welcomes the Commission’s openness to considering the impact of the 2030 climate and energy package to the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NEC); considers however that a modified proposal is not necessary but the issue of aligning climate and energy policies should be addressed in the context of future interinstitutional negotiations; recalls that the revision of the NEC Directive is more than 10 years overdue and any further delay would only undermine the level of protection to the citizen and the environment;
40. Calls for the evaluation of the Fuel Quality Directive and for a reduction in CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles to be concluded as soon as possible, in order for the Commission to make proposals to amend them in 2015; encourages the Commission to better integrate the EU targets of climate protection and energy consumption into its transport policy, particularly into the road, aircraft and maritime sectors;
41. Encourages the Commission to boost its work on better legislation and enforcement on passenger rights, based on fair competition between the modes and to include a coherent framework of criteria for getting the prices right and internalising external costs into its proposals on the road package as well as intensifying its measures on reducing fatalities and serious injuries in accordance with EU road safety targets; asks the Commission when preparing its review of the White Paper on Transport to evaluate its work on the 2011 White Paper’s goals and 40 initiatives;
42. Strongly criticises the Commission’s announcement to withdraw its proposal for the revision of Directive 92/85/EEC on pregnant workers and maternity leave and its intention to yield to business demands; underlines the necessity to revise the Council Directive 92/85/EEC in order to achieve adequate EU-wide minimum standards for maternity and paternity leave rights and therefore to improve the health and safety of pregnant workers or workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding, thus overcoming demographic challenges while reducing inequalities between men and women; takes notes of the ECJ judgment (C-409/13) of 14 April 2015 regarding the Commission’s right to withdraw a proposal, which reaffirms the specific conditions to be fulfilled by the Commission, inter alia, by honouring its obligations to state to Parliament and the Council the grounds for the withdrawal, and to abide by the principles of conferral of powers, institutional balance and sincere cooperation, as laid down in the TEU; foresees in view of that a Parliament action against the Council and the Commission for annulment under Article 263 TFEU;
43. Strongly supports the Commission in its objective to review Council Regulation (EC) No 428/2009 on the export of dual-use technologies; welcomes the ongoing work of the Commission and its intention to present a new legislative proposal in the first half of 2016; recalls the urgent need to regulate the commercial export of dual-use technologies and to address potentially harmful exports of ICT products and services to third countries; calls on the Commission to include effective safeguards to prevent any harm from these export controls to research, including scientific and IT security research without criminal intent;
44. Considers that Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation has reached its limits and needs to be updated, as the FEMM committee recently confirmed in the Záborská report; calls on the Commission to prepare the legislative proposal that would replace existing legislation, which is ineffective and unenforceable because despite countless campaigns, targets and measures in recent years, the gender pay gap remains stubbornly wide;
45. Demands that the proposal on trade secrets currently negotiated in JURI be withdrawn, as its impact on fundamental rights, and potential anti-competitive impact, especially towards SMEs, has not been analysed; emphasises furthermore that the current proposal creates legal uncertainty with regard to the right to access information and workers mobility, and that its loopholes and vagueness could be misused to overprotect commercial information against the general interest;
46. Considers that a comprehensive review of the EU’s trade policy strategy should take into account the actual net contribution to jobs and growth and improve its coherence with EU development goals, climate targets, environmental priorities and human rights standards; urges moreover the Commission to change its practices regarding full democratic disclosure of the documentation supporting the negotiation process;
47. Welcomes the incentive-based approach towards the ENP countries that is based on merits and differentiation, and calls on the Commission, in this respect, to set up the implementation mechanisms of the ‘more for more’ principle, which also implies ‘less for less’ for those countries that show no willingness to engage constructively with the EU, defining clearly the relevant benchmarks, indicators and criteria;
48. Finds regrettable that the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has promoted the idea that no further enlargement will take place over the next five years; believes that such statement could undermine the EU’s credibility in the Western Balkan region, set a dangerous precedent and strategically weaken the perception of the Union in an increasingly unstable Eastern neighbourhood; recalls the decision taken by the EU heads of state and government at the European Council in 2003 (Thessaloniki) stating that all Western Balkan countries have a continued perspective as EU Member States; recalls that only such a perspective can motivate the countries concerned, which are surrounded geographically by EU Member States, to undertake the necessary reforms and bring them in line with the EU acquis;
49. Calls on the Commission to step up the assistance, the coordination, the monitoring and the exchange of experience and good practices between Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine with a view to speeding up the effective implementation of the association agreements and to enhancing the integration of these countries in EU policies;
50. Calls on the Commission to prevent the use of EU budget funds for defence or dual-use research as is currently being planned in the context of a pilot project on CSDP related research; urges the Commission to defend a purely civilian definition of relevant EU funds such as Horizon2020 and social, regional and structural funds; recalls the need to significantly reduce overcapacities, mismanagement, corruption, fragmentation, poor levels of transparency in the European defence sectors; encourages the Commission to exert pressure on Member States with a view to the proper implementation of Directive 2009/81/EC on public procurement and calls for further measures regarding the introduction of strict internal market rules;
Missing initiatives
51. Takes note that there is no clearly defined Communication on the Work Programme for 2016; expresses nevertheless strong concerns that some key areas as well as important initiatives would in this current state be left aside; calls therefore on the Commission to reconsider and include the following proposals:
– a ‘social veto right’ or any mechanism able to prevent EU legislation from coming into force when its impact would damage the poorest, increase inequalities or decrease social rights;
– a revision of the Working Time Directive, in order to remove the opt out on the working week average of 48 hours;
– a proposal for a directive on access to public information in the Member States;
– a proposal for a regulation on the security of information technology products and services on the EU market;
– an adjustment of EU public procurement rules so that the source codes of every information technology product or service is made available to the respective authorities;
– a proposal to complete the banking union with a roadmap towards a common deposit guarantee framework;
– a legislative proposal to integrate resource efficiency and unit capital costs into an enhanced and revised macroeconomic imbalances procedure that is more symmetrical and effective;
– a revision of the Audit Directive to prevent auditing companies from providing tax advice;
– a revision of the Accounting Directive to extend country-by-country tax obligations to companies in all sectors, and furthermore to oblige companies to publish the tax rulings granted to them by Member States and third countries;
– a new legislative proposal for access to justice on environmental matters, in order to ensure implementation of the Aarhus Convention in the Union;
– a legislative proposal on environmental inspections as a major instrument for contributing to full implementation of environment legislation in the Union;
– a harmonised and binding legal framework on the exploration and exploitation of unconventional fuels by hydraulic fracturing as a follow-up of the evaluation of the respective Commission recommendations;
– the communication entitled ‘Building a Sustainable European Food System’ as agreed by the Commissioners of DGs AGRI, ENVI and SANCO in April 2014;
– scientifically-based horizontal criteria for endocrine disruptors, thus fulfilling without further delay, the Commission’s overdue legal obligations;
– a new framework law for animal welfare laying down minimum EU welfare standards for all categories of animal;
– an EU roadmap for cycling accompanied with supporting and promoting measures;
– a legislative proposal for different types of leave (paternity, adoption, care leave and filial) in order to improve the reconciliation of professional, family and private life, which could also unlock the blocking of the Maternity Leave Directive in Council;
– the revision of the existing legislation in matters of equal pay for men and women, as the current one is ineffective and unenforceable and despite countless campaigns, targets and measures in recent years, the gender pay gap remains stubbornly wide;
– a comprehensive European response to the fundamental rights problems of LGBTI persons, in the shape of an EU strategy/roadmap against homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, as repeatedly called for by Parliament and Member States;
– a legislative proposal introducing binding rules on responsible business conduct for EU companies operating in third countries aimed at full transparency of supply chains, focusing particular attention on the textile sector;
– a follow-up action to ensure that Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan remains relevant and tackles the new drivers of illegal logging, which come from the conversion of forests to agricultural plantations, including a proposal for an EU action plan on deforestation;
– convert the actual Code of Good Administrative Behaviour into a binding regulation in order to strengthen the fundamental right in the EU to proper administration in the public service provided within its institutions, bodies, offices and agencies;
– an initiative for laying down the opening benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 with a view to preparing the opening of those chapters in the context of the accession negotiations with Turkey;
– a proposal for a common position on the rapid ratification of the Kampala amendments to the International Criminal Court defining the crime of aggression by all Member States;
– a legislative proposal for the European-wide protection of whistle-blowers who have revealed irregularities impacting European legislation and/or citizens
A word on the working method
52. Urges the Commission to clearly indicate its intention to respect the equal footing of both co-legislative institutions, especially given that Parliament is contributing to alleviating the legislative burden as in the case of plant reproductive material (COM/2013/0262 – 2013/0137 (COD); and advises the Commission against using Council’s possible stalling to bypass Parliament’s position;
53. Emphasises its opposition to any new Interinstitutional Agreement that would compromise Parliament’s role under the Treaty, impose the Commission’s agenda on Parliament and the Council, submit the legislators to ‘expert’ assessment at all stages and subordinate democratically-concluded political decisions to other priorities such as administrative simplification or reducing regulatory burden;
54. Considers that the Commission’s political guidelines cannot be the only basis for setting the multiannual priorities, lest the legislator branch would see its agenda solely dictated by the College;
55. Urges the Commission to intensify its efforts in monitoring the transposition of and the respect for EU law by the Member States, especially in the context of a reduced legislative agenda; calls for the better and more systematic inclusion of the national parliaments;
56. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.