EU policy processes • Does the EU have too many policy-making processes? Why? Do you know any? • In what main ways do EU policy making processes differ from national processes? • What two elements contribute to differentiate EU policy processes? • What are the differences between supranationalism and inter- governmentalism?
A Presentation on Decision Making Process of European Commisssion
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EU policy processes
• Does the EU have too many policy-making processes? Why? Do you know any?
• In what main ways do EU policy making processes differ
from national processes?
• What two elements contribute to differentiate EU policy
processes?
• What are the differences between supranationalism and inter-governmentalism?
EU policy cycle?
• Is it decision-making homogeneous across policy areas?
• What are the main phases in a policy cycle?
• What are the main actors involved in each one?
Initiation phase
• Consultation process:• Expert groups, public consultations.
• Green papers, White papers.• National representatives, members of EP committees.
• Impact assessment:• Economic, social and environmental effects.
• Cost&benefit assessment of different policyoption.
• Inter-service consultation.• Draft proposal.• Adoption by the College.
Decision making in the Commission
Strategic planning in the Commission
• State of the European Union:• Strategic objectives and priorities.
• Commission work programme:• Dialogue with the EP.
• DG’s management plans:• Objectives and indicators for reporting and
monitoring.
• Impact assessments:• Economic, social and environment al effects.
• Annual Activity Report and synthesis report .
Subsidiarity and proportionality
• Principle of subsidiarity:• In areas which do not fall within its exclusive
competence, the Union shall act only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the MSs but can rather by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved at Union level.
• Principle of proportionality:• Thee content and form of Union action shall not exceed what
is necessary to achieve the objectives of the Treaties.
Early warning mechanism
‘Yellow card’ procedure ‘Orange card’ procedure
Only for ordinary legislative procedure
Threshold A number of negative opinions representing at least 1/3 of the total votes (2 votes per MS).
*1/4 for legislative acts concerning thearea of freedom, security and justice.
A number of negative opinions representing at least a simple majority of the votes allocated to national parliaments.
Effect The initiating EU institution (usually the Commission) must review the proposal. It can maintain, amend or withdraw it.
The European Commission (EC) must review the proposal, and it can maintain, amend, or withdraw it.
If the EC decides to maintain the proposal, it has to justify its decision, and both the Council and the EP can reject it before the end of the first reading should they find it incompatible with the subsidiarity principle.
Adoption phase
• Highly politicised.
• Decision-making might take many forms:
• Supranationalism vs inter-governmentalism.
• Depending on policy (but changes over time).
• More powers to the EU, but in different forms.
• Increasing differentiation
• Decision-makers vary across policy process modes:
• Community method, intensive transgovernmentalism,supranational centralisation, new modes of governance.