Mestrado Europa

Ponto de encontro das disciplinas de mestrado do ISCSP sobre temas europeus da responsablidade de José Adelino Maltez, Andreia Soares e Raquel Patrício

15.5.07

2 textos de apoio para o debate do dia 16 de Maio

O Impacto da Europeização no Parlamento
Maria Teresa Paulo com Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Working Paper n.º 21, IPRI - UNL

In http://www.ipri.pt/publicacoes/working_paper/pdf/Parlamento.pdf

Abstract
O presente artigo procura analisar o impacto da nova fonte de poder – europeia – nas mudanças operadas na Assembleia da República (AR) e nas suas relações interinstitucionais, como forma de compensação pela transferência de poderes legislativos e pela adaptação a um novo contexto de decisão política.
Considera-se que os resultados negativos dos referendos holandês e francês ao Tratado Constitucional, no Verão de 2005, contribuíram para aumentar a visibilidade do papel dos Parlamentos Nacionais (PN) em matéria europeia, simultaneamente, como uma via para o aumento da transparência, da legitimidade e da credibilidade do processo decisório europeu e como solução para a aproximação da Europa aos cidadãos por intermédio dos seus representantes mais directos: os deputados nacionais.
Apesar de no Parlamento português o escrutínio da actividade legislativa do Governo em ambiente europeu tender a não ser sistemático, tanto o enquadramento normativo, como a prática parlamentar têm procurado reagir às exigências do novo contexto europeu. O artigo tenciona igualmente problematizar as circunstâncias que moldam a resposta da AR às crescentes pressões europeias e dar nota de algumas iniciativas que o Parlamento tem desenvolvido com vista a melhorar o seu desempenho, como é o caso da recente aprovação da Lei 43/2006, de 25 de Agosto, que aposta em práticas concretas de melhoria do escrutínio parlamentar em matéria europeia.


Seventh bi-annual report: Developments in European Union Procedures and Practices Relevant to Parliamentary Scrutiny
In www.cosac.eu/en/meetings/Berlin2007/plenary/cosac7.pdf

Preparar especialmente os capítulos 1 e 2

Summary

·Almost all national parliaments reported that the subsidiarity and proportionality checks initiated by COSAC brought added value to the way they treat EU affairs. The overwhelming majority would welcome continuation of two checks per year.
· The selection mechanism should be similar to the one chosen for the first two subsidiarity and proportionality checks. Accordingly, the selection should be based on the European Commission's Legislative and Work Programme. Since the LWP for 2008 will most probably be published after the COSAC Conference in Lisbon, the decision whether and how to proceed should be combined with clear procedural arrangements.
· A large majority of parliaments consider that some form of further clarification of the interpretation and application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality is needed. Incoming presidencies could consider holding a discussion of subsidiarity and proportionality during one of the next COSAC meetings, aiming at a better understanding of the two principles on the one hand, and the procedure to be followed between the national parliaments and the European Institutions on the other.
· The new mechanism through which the Commission transmits all new proposals and consultation papers directly to national parliaments and responds to the comments it receives from them is perceived by a significant number of parliaments to bring added value, either by creating a specific framework for a dialogue with the Commission, or by influencing the way EU Affairs are dealt with.
· According to the information available, approximately 85 opinions were sent by parliaments to the Commission since 1 September 2006. The Commission has given 39 formal replies to those comments,
· Parliaments should be encouraged to make more intensive use of the interparliamentary information exchange website IPEX, and, most importantly, upload short summaries of their relevant findings in English and/or French.
· To date, 18 of the 27 Member States have ratified the Constitutional Treaty at least as far as the parliamentary stage is concerned; two of them after a positive referendum. In France and the Netherlands referenda had a negative outcome. The Czech Republic,Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom have not ratified the Treaty. The debate on how to proceed with the Constitutional Treaty will enter into a decisive phase with the report by the German presidency to the June European Council.
· Climate Change has risen to a major public concern in Europe. The EU is determined to take a leading role in the fight against climate change especially with regard to the negotiations of an international climate regime that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol. At the European Spring Council 2007, an agreement on the EU's first comprehensive policy in the field of climate protection and energy was reached. The EU committed to a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and expressed its willingness to rise this goal to 30% if other developed countries followed. The agreement is hoped to have a positive impact on the negotiations of an international post-Kyoto agreement.