Meeting summary: Wednesday 2 July 2014
4 July 2014
The European Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 2 July 2014
The Committee considered the following documents:
The UK’s block opt-out decision
The Committee reports on a Commission staff working document that sets out a revised preliminary list of justice and home affairs (JHA) measures agreed before the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009 that will be subject to the full jurisdiction of the Court of Justice and the Commission’s enforcement powers from 1 December 2014, the date on which a five-year transitional period expires. The measures will cease to apply to the UK from that date because the Government has exercised its right, under the Lisbon Treaty, to opt out of them en masse, although it has also expressed its intention to seek to opt back into 35 of them, including the European Arrest Warrant. We asked the Government to deposit the Commission document for scrutiny because, despite repeated promises to engage often and early with Parliament, the Government has so far provided no update on the process or progress of negotiations and most of the documents relevant to the negotiating process are marked limited and cannot be deposited in Parliament. We raise a number of technical issues on the Commission list. More importantly, we again remind the Government of its commitment to engage with Parliament, particularly now that an agreement ‘in principle’ on the measures the UK will formally seek to rejoin appears to be within reach, and ask the Minister whether leaving the Committee to glean this information from press releases and document databases of other national parliaments, in spite of repeated requests for information, is an appropriate way for Government to engage with Parliament on such a critical policy area.
Ports (for debate on the floor of the House)
The Committee is recommending that a debate on a draft Regulation establishing a framework on the market access to port services and the financial transparency of ports be scheduled. Transport is a shared competence between the EU and Member States; with this proposal the Commission is seeking to ensure that EU ports can become more efficient, competitive and able to cope with increased demands in transport and logistics. Some 47 UK ports would fall within the scope of this legislation. When we initially considered this proposal we questioned its utility; subsequently we reminded the Government that we would wish to recommend a debate following either news of the European Parliament’s consideration of the matter in March of this year or substantial progress in negotiations by the Greek Presidency. Following an update at the June Transport Council, the Minister now tells us that Council working group discussions have now resumed and the Italian Presidency hopes to reach a general approach on the proposal at the 8 October Transport Council. Given the intervening recesses, we ask that the debate take place in the two weeks beginning 1 September on the floor of the House.
EU General Budget 2015: Draft Budget
For debate in European Committee B
The Commission’s Draft Budget is the first stage in the adoption by the Council and the European Parliament of the EU Budget for the following year. The Government writes that it will again seek budgetary restraint and discipline through working closely with like-minded states for the EU Budget for 2015. As with previous years, the Committee is recommending that the Draft EU Budget for 2015, setting out the Commission’s proposals for EU expenditure, be debated in European Committee. We further recommend that it be debated as soon as practically possible, and certainly, before the European Parliament’s first reading.
European energy security (for debate in European Committee A)
The Committee has also recommended the Commission Communication on European Energy Security for debate in European Committee A.
Other documents reported
We are also reporting on documents relating to:
- Business, Innovation and Skills: European Citizens’ Initiative: ‘One of Us’;
- Energy and Climate Change: Safety of nuclear installations;
- Environment, Food and Rural Affairs & International
- Development: The EU and the post-2015 development agenda; Cultivation of genetically modified crops;
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Diplomatic and consular protection of Union citizens in third countries; CFSP: EU support for security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo; CSDP: the EU’s comprehensive approach to external conflict and crises; a European maritime security strategy;
- Home Office: EU return policy; Reforming Europol;
- Transport: Single European Sky;
The Committee’s Fourth Report will also be published soon, covering: EU enlargement: Albania; European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO); Raw materials initiative; Company restructuring; EU-Lebanon relations; EU-Tunisia relations; EU Special Representatives for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia; European Neighbourhood Policy; European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories; EU restrictive measures against Côte d’Ivoire; EU General Budget 2014; Task Force for the Mediterranean; Asylum and Immigration.