the European Semester process EMU and the role of the EP - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The European Parliament in the European Semester process

EMU and the role of the EP

• Political debate: Priorities of the European Semester, macroeconomic adjustment

programmes, imbalance procedure,...

POLITICAL SIGNALLING

• Co-legislator: financial services (Banking Union) and economic governance (2-

Pack, 6-Pack)

CODECISION

• Oversight/Accountability:

Appointment procedures (Commission, president and members of commission) / ECB, EFSI, ...(sometimes limited) Monetary dialogues (Paradox: independence of ECB but stronger accountability than with the Eurogroup and partly the Commission) Economic dialogues / Banking Supervisory hearings

Intergovernmental Agreements- limited role of EP- less legitimacy

–Macroeconomic Adjustment Programmes –European Stability Mechanism (ESM), –Fiscal Compact (TSCG)

Legitimacy

• Input legitimacy: design of an institution or system (elections of

politicians with a certain policy programme for a specific function, decision-making process..etc)

• Double input legitimacy: Union of people represented by the

European Parliament and Union of States represented by the Council of Ministers

• and double or shared parliamentary legitimacy: ex. European

semester: responsibility both at national and at European parliaments.

• Output legitimacy: relevance and quality of the institution’s

performance (efficiency, achievements)

• Output legitimacy: Achievement of EU objectives, and new

elements management of the Euro (crisis)

EP reports on the European Semester

• Since 2012, the ECON committee has adopted two own-initiative

reports on the Semester cycle each year:

• ne adopted in plenary in February, focused on the Annual Growth

Survey identifying the priorities of the next Semester cycle;

• another one adopted in plenary in October, evaluating the country-

specific recommendations, and setting out priorities ahead of the next Semester cycle.

• Chairs of Finance committees of EU National Parliaments were invited

to discuss, during a normal ECON committee meeting ahead of ECON’s vote, this second report.

• Finance Ministers of the Euro Countries are invited such as the Greek

FM (Tsacalatos), the German finance minister (Scholz) and the presidency;

The European Semester

7

Democratic control and cooperation with national Parliaments

• Institutional framework:
• EP is the Parliament of the Union (art.14 TEU)
• Monetary and Economic dialogues currently in ECON Committee

With Single Market, EMU, and “ever closer Union” increased role both of EP and

• f national parliaments for policies decided at EU level
• Role of National Parliaments:
• Traditional function = hold their governments accountable
• Evolving role = democratic accountability at EU level strengthened by Lisbon

Treaty: art. 5, art. 10(2), art. 11 and art. 12 TEU

But Crisis led to an increased Intergovernmentalism

• More

inter-gouvernmental institutions and agreements undermine democratic legitimacy both at national and at EU level

• Importance
• f

an increased EP/NPs cooperation

• Increased interparliamentary cooperation in the

field of economic and budgetary policies: European Parliamentary Week (EPW), implementation of

• Art. 13 of the

Fiscal compact (TSCG), and ad-hoc meetings

Alliance of European and National Parliaments

• Increased interparliamentary cooperation in the

field of economic and budgetary policies: European Parliamentary Week (EPW), implementation of

• Art. 13 of the

Fiscal compact (TSCG), and ad-hoc meetings,

• Joint meetings of EP with national parliaments

(Bundestag, Finnish, etc..)

• Seminar at staff level, etc...