Politiek akkoord tussen Europese instituten over hervorming comitologie (en)

Political agreement with the European Parliament on the comitology reform

"I am pleased we have been able to bring the work on comitology reform to a successful conclusion during the Austrian Presidency", State Secretary Hans Winkler stated following the positive vote on the amended comitology decision in the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

"This complex and highly technical dossier is about increasing democratic accountability in the Union and is an important step towards improving procedures in the EU", Winkler added. For the first time, the European Parliament is guaranteed broad parity with the Council, including with regard to monitoring of executive powers exercised by the European Commission. The formal vote on the reform in the European Parliament and its subsequent adoption by the Council will probably take place in July of this year.

Winkler pointed out that, following the negative outcome of the referendums in France and the Netherlands on the Constitutional Treaty - which would have given the European Parliament extensive rights in the field of implementing measures - it had become necessary to remedy the imbalances between the institutions. "The present reform has now done this", he said.

The comitology procedure, through which the Commission adopts the most important implementing measures, has gained considerable importance over the last decades. Around 4.000 measures are adopted every year in a wide variety of fields, such as environmental protection, securities trading or avian influenza.

The compromise package approved today also contains a number of political statements by the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission, such as a "peace declaration", a statement by the Commission on improvements in how the European Parliament is informed, and a list of existing instruments which are to be adapted to the new procedure as a matter of urgency.